BIRIBA BOYS

Biriba Alegra O Brasil (1960)

Sérgio Weiss, the leader of the group, once being interviewed, told the story of the Biriba Boys:

"Between the years of 1950’s and 1960’s, every club had a monthly ball that usually started around 11:00 PM and went through the night, ending not before 4:00 AM on the next day.

During the other weekends, there were balls animated by the bands on what we called "Domingueiras" that started around 5:00 PM up to 8:00 PM, sometimes going as far as 11:00 PM".

"Then, those balls were very important, for there were no TV’s and bars, like today, so the youth waited for them anxiously, and dressed carefully".

"The event was fundamental because that’s where they met and scheduled dates. It was during the dancing that you could find out if your partner was interesting or not".

The group started in the ballroom of the Tênis Clube de São José dos Campos and Sérgio told how it was:

"There was an old piano which I usually played, and eventually would arrive another musician with a tambourine, another with a guitar, and so on. One day, the management of the club told us that we were supposed to play on the main ball. That was craziness. It was 1949".

"Then, I went to the radio station to announce the ball. That time in São José dos Campos, there was only the ZYE-5, and then the DJ asked me the name of the band. The first thing that came into my mind was "Biriba". And he asked: "Biriba what?", to which I answered Boys, Biriba Boys".

"And what does that mean?", "he asked. Then I told him that Biriba was the name of Botafogo’s pet from Rio de Janeiro, and also was the name of an entity of the Brazilian folklore responsible for the 'theft' of objects that mysteriously disappeared. When we couldn’t find something, we would say that the Biriba had taken it".

The Biriba Boys soon became a reference for all the clubs in that region and if a ball wasn’t animated by them, it was a certainty of failure.

With such an irreverent name, the Biriba Boys could only be oriented to innovation. Colorful shirts with tropical motifs, not conventional instruments like the other bands and a refined international repertory based on hits and film hits. They became a symbol of a time that won’t be back and certainly many of those who have been there miss them.

Biriba Alegra O Brasil
 
01. Prece Ao Sol (Jorge de Castro/Wilson Baptista) • 2:29
02. In The Mood (Andy Razaff/Joe Garland) • 2:53
03. Wake The Town And Tell The People (Jerry Livingston/Sammy Gallop) • 2:40
04. Quem É (Osmar Navarro/Oldemar Magalhães) • 3:27
05. Ô-Ba-La-Lá (João Gilberto) • 3:26
06. Seleção De Cha Cha Cha • 3:59
    Ya Ya Cha Cha Cha (Billy May)
    Undecided (Charles Shavers/Sid Robin)
    Ahora Seremos Felices (Rafael Hernandez)
    Chachazinho (Sylvio Mazzuca)
07. Menina Moça (Luís Antonio) • 2:29
08. Não Tive Tempo (Haroldo Barbosa/Nanaí) • 2:57
09. Leva-me Contigo (Dolores Duran) • 3:18
10. Não Sei Dizer (Sérgio Weiss) • 3:19
11. Marcianita (J. Imperatore/Galvarino Villota Alderete) • 3:17
12. Nugats De Cugat (Xavier Cugat/H. Angullo) • 2:33