Lô Borges

Lô Borges was born Salomão Borges Filho on January 10, 1952, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. His father, Salomão Magalhães Borges, was a journalist, and his mother, Maria Fragoso Borges, taught school. Lô grew up in Santa Tereza with ten siblings, including musician Marilton and lyricist Márcio. The family listened to Brazilian popular music on the radio while Lô attended the Instituto de Educação for his primary studies.

Around 1962, the Borges family moved to Edifício Levy in central Belo Horizonte, where Lô encountered singer-guitarist Milton Nascimento in the stairwell. He learned guitar through bossa nova songs and developed a friendship with neighborhood musician Beto Guedes. In the mid-1960s, Lô formed The Beavers, a Beatles vocal quartet with Guedes, brother Yé Borges, and Márcio Aquino. The group performed on local radio and the children’s television program Petilândia.

Nascimento Partnership

Lô frequented the corner of Rua Divinópolis and Rua Paraisópolis in Santa Tereza, where neighborhood youths gathered with guitars. Around 1968, he formed a writing partnership with Nascimento, who developed the music for “Clube da Esquina” with Lô before Márcio added lyrics. The brothers also partnered on “Alunar.” At seventeen, Lô composed “Para Lennon e McCartney” on the family piano, with lyrics by Márcio and Fernando Brant.

Nascimento introduced all three songs on his 1970 Odeon album Milton, backed by the rock group Som Imaginário. Lô appeared on both co-written tracks. He also partnered with Guedes and Brant on “Feira Moderna,” which Som Imaginário performed at the fifth Festival Internacional da Canção and included on their 1970 Odeon debut.

As a followup, Nascimento invited Lô to Rio de Janeiro to share a double album. He persuaded Odeon to accept the joint billing despite reservations about the young songwriter. Lô and Guedes joined Nascimento near Rio then settled in a house at Piratininga, Niterói. They co-wrote with Brant and fellow lyricists Márcio Borges and Ronaldo Bastos. Lô traveled frequently to Belo Horizonte, where he wrote several pieces on the family piano.

In 1972, Odeon issued the double album Clube da Esquina, credited jointly to Nascimento and Lô. The latter co-wrote eight of the twenty-one tracks, including “O Trem Azul,” “Nuvem Cigana,” and “Um Girassol da Cor de Seu Cabelo.” Odeon then offered Lô a solo contract. Since he exhausted his pre-existing repertoire on the two Nascimento albums, he wrote new material under a condensed studio schedule. Lô developed themes during daytime sessions, worked with lyricists in the afternoon, and cut songs at night. The resulting fifteen-track album, Lô Borges, appeared on Odeon in 1972 with a photograph of his sneakers on the cover.

After 1972

Lô left the Rio recording circuit after the sessions and traveled around Brazil, including a period in the coastal settlement of Arembepe, Bahia. He continued writing during his extended stay away from the industry. In 1978, he rejoined Nascimento for Clube da Esquina 2, contributing “Ruas da Cidade” and “Pão e Água” with Márcio Borges. Lô also sang on “O Que Foi Feito Deverá (De Vera)” alongside Nascimento, Gonzaguinha, and Elis Regina.

In 1979, Lô returned to EMI-Odeon for A Via-Láctea, with Nascimento as executive producer and Mariozinho Rocha directing production. He reunited with Guedes and Márcio on “Equatorial” and introduced the Telo Borges–Márcio Borges song “Vento de Maio,” with sister Solange on vocals. The sessions reunited him with drummer Robertinho Silva, guitarist Toninho Horta, and keyboardist Wagner Tiso. Lô also worked with keyboardists Flávio Venturini and Telo Borges.

In 1980, Lô joined siblings Marilton, Márcio, Yé, Telo, Solange, and Nico for the EMI-Odeon family album Os Borges. Lô wrote “Eu Sou Como Você É,” a duet with Marilton, and sang “No Tom de Sempre” with Chico Lessa. The project also included guest performances by Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina, and Gonzaguinha.

Lô continued with EMI-Odeon for the 1982 album Nuvem Cigana, produced by lyricist Ronaldo Bastos. He developed new songs with Bastos and Murilo Antunes and revisited the title piece from Clube da Esquina. Telo contributed “Ritatá” and played keyboards alongside Flávio Venturini and Wagner Tiso. The sessions also reunited Lô with guitarist Toninho Horta and drummer Robertinho Silva. Nascimento sang on “Viver, Viver,” accompanied by Guedes on drums and Venezuelan cuatro.