Os Borges

Os Borges were a Brazilian samba-jazz/pop family band that made a 1980 self-titled album on Odeon. They comprised the namesake Borges kin, featuring singer/songwriter Lô Borges and his six siblings.

Members: Lô Borges, Nico Borges, Telo Borges, Marilton Borges, Márcio Borges, Yê Borges, Solange Borges, Salomão Borges, Maricota Borges

Background

Os Borges originated as a family recording project in 1980, when producer Duca Leal arranged an EMI-Odeon album for seven musician siblings from Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

The siblings grew up in Santa Tereza with journalist Salomão Borges and schoolteacher Maria Fragoso Borges (Maricota), who read music and sang in a church choir. The eldest, singer-guitarist Marilton, learned guitar from uncle João and piano from cousin Vivina.

The family moved to Edifício Levy in central Belo Horizonte, where Marilton met singer-bassist Milton Nascimento during a 1963 power failure. He invited Nascimento to the family apartment and formed Evolussamba in 1964 with drummer Marcelo Ferrari and pianist Wagner Tiso. Lyricist Márcio Borges watched three consecutive screenings of the François Truffaut film Jules et Jim with Nascimento. The pair returned home and wrote “Novena,” “Gira Girou” and “Crença.”

Guitarist Lô Borges played Beatles songs with brother Yé and Beto Guedes in the Beavers, a teenage group that appeared on Belo Horizonte television. In 1972, Lô co-led the double album Clube da Esquina with Nascimento, with lyrics by Márcio. Songwriter Telo Borges and singer Nico Borges also worked with Nascimento on the 1973 Odeon album Milagre dos Peixes, where Nico sang lead on “Pablo.”

Lô included “Vento de Maio,” a Telo–Márcio composition, on the 1979 album A Via-Láctea. Their sister Solange sang on the track and “Clube da Esquina Nº 2.” Telo also joined Lô and Tiso for a Projeto Pixinguinha tour.

Leal produced the 1979 independent album Aline for singer Aline. She pitched the Borges family project to EMI-Odeon director Adail Lessa, who approved the album. Marilton worked as recording and creative director at Estúdio HP, where he produced jingles and advertising soundtracks. He assembled the repertoire with Márcio and Telo while Lô toured A Via-Láctea. Telo recruited arranger Guilherme Arantes for the sessions. The seven siblings entered EMI-Odeon Studio 2 in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, for Os Borges.

Discography:

• Os Borges (1980)

References and notes

• O primogênito dos Borges — Marilton Borges oral history, April 19, 2004. Marilton identifies Maricota as a church singer and names João and Vivina as early teachers. He describes recording and creative duties at Estúdio HP during preparation for Os Borges. (Cláudia Leonor and Tatiana Alves, Museu da Pessoa transcript)
• Marilton Borges interview — June 27, 2023. Marilton dates the meeting with Nascimento to a 1963 power failure at Edifício Levy. He identifies the 1964 Evolussamba quartet, with guitar and vocals by Marilton, bass by Nascimento, drums by Marcelo Ferrari and piano by Wagner Tiso. (Augusto Pio, Estado de Minas)
• Novena (1964) de Milton Nascimento e Márcio Borges: primórdios da síntese do Clube da Esquina — 2014. The authors reconstruct the cinema episode through interviews with both songwriters. The account connects three consecutive screenings of Jules et Jim with “Novena,” “Gira Girou” and “Crença,” written that night at Edifício Levy. (Fausto Borém and Wilson Lopes, Per Musi)
• Mistura musical — Lô Borges oral history, April 18, 2007. Lô identifies the Beavers lineup and the television appearances. He credits Marilton, Márcio and Telo with repertoire preparation while Lô toured A Via-Láctea, and locates the family sessions at EMI-Odeon Studio 2 in Botafogo. (Tatiana Dias and Léo Dias, Museu da Pessoa transcript)
• Solange Borges — Vidas Femininas exhibition, 2021. The exhibition biography identifies Marilton, Márcio and Lô as the older brothers who taught Solange guitar. (Museu da Pessoa; film by Larissa Teixeira)
• Nico and Telo Borges interviews — June 5, 2023. The brothers recall an invitation from Nascimento to visit Rio de Janeiro and the unexpected sessions for Milagre dos Peixes. Both sang on “Os Escravos de Jó” and “Cadê”; Nico sang the solo lead on “Pablo.” (Gabriel de Sá, Estado de Minas)
• Vento de bicho — Telo Borges oral history, April 20, 2005. Telo describes the opening sets that Marilton offered at the 890 bar and the subsequent Projeto Pixinguinha tour. He explains the invitation to arranger Guilherme Arantes for the family album and independently confirms Studio 2 in Botafogo. (Stela Trédice and Tatiana Dias, Museu da Pessoa transcript)
• Márcio Borges interview — reproduced March 9, 2013. Márcio identifies Duca Leal as the originator of the family album and names Adail Lessa as the EMI-Odeon director who accepted the proposal. He explicitly connects the approach to the earlier production of Aline. (Márcio Borges interview, Blogagenda)
• Duca Leal interview — April 29, 2026; Aline release metadata. Leal discusses the independent production of Aline and the conception of Os Borges. Label-supplied metadata confirms the 1979 release of Aline through Companhia Vento de Raio. (Cezar Xavier, Portal Vermelho; Apple Music catalogue)
• A Via-Láctea and Os Borges — album catalogues. IMMuB identifies Telo and Márcio as writers of “Vento de Maio” and lists Solange on that track and “Clube da Esquina Nº 2.” The separate family-album entry documents the 1980 EMI-Odeon release of Os Borges. (A Via-Láctea, IMMuB; Os Borges, IMMuB)