Ney Matogrosso

Ney de Souza Pereira (born 1 August 1941), known professionally as Ney Matogrosso (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnej ˌmatuˈɡɾosu]), is a Brazilian singer who is distinguished for his uncommon countertenor voice. He was ranked by Rolling Stone as the third greatest Latin American singer of all time.

Biography

Son of military man Antônio Mattogrosso Pereira (July 13, 1916 - Dec 21, 1985) and Beita de Souza Pereira (b. Oct 5, 1922), Ney had a nomadic childhood, moving from city to city frequently. The stage name he later adopted was taken from his own family, since his father has "Matogrosso" in his name and is a reference to his birth state, Mato Grosso do Sul. Matogrosso enlisted in the Brazilian Air Force at the age of 17, being later transferred to Brasília. Within a few years, Matogrosso started singing in a vocal quartet, performing at college festivals throughout Brazil. With the hope of becoming a stage actor, Ney moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1966, where he lived as a hippie and made ends meet by selling arts and crafts. In 1971, he moved to São Paulo, adopting the artistic name Ney Matogrosso, and joined the glam rock group Secos & Molhados, which in less than 18 months became a phenomenon, selling 1 million records. Endowed with a unique counter-tenor voice and a striking stage presence, Ney's career soared. Matogrosso was the singer and interpreter in the group Secos & Molhados. One of the most interesting moments in their music was "the video-clip Flores Astrais (1974), where Matogrosso plays the role of a hypersensual character on a space-like stage. Matogrosso turned his male physiognomy and his androgynous performance into a landmark of counterculture during the most intensively repressive years of military."