Miriam Batucada

Origin

São Paulo, SP

Also known as

Miriam Ângela Lavecchia, Miriam da Batucada

Genres

MPB, samba, rock

Instruments

vocals, percussion, piano, drums, harmonica, acoustic guitar, cuica

Biography

Miriam Batucada, artistic name of Miriam Ângela Lavecchia, was born in São Paulo in 1946 and established herself in the Brazilian artistic scene as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and television presenter. Raised in the traditional São Paulo neighborhood of Mooca, she developed in her youth the hand percussion technique that marked her career and earned her the famous nickname given by presenter Cidinha Campos. She began her television career in the second half of the 1960s, participating in high-ratings programs alongside figures such as Blota Júnior, Hebe Camargo, and Ronnie Von, where she displayed her versatility as a true "show-woman," playing multiple instruments and performing impersonations and comic acts.

The major milestone of her discography occurred in 1971, when she joined the legendary and anarchic project Sociedade da Grã-Ordem Kavernista Apresenta Sessão das 10, alongside Raul Seixas, Sérgio Sampaio, and Edy Star. The conceptual album became cult over the years and projected the singer's name nationally, although she followed a solo trajectory of lesser commercial peak in the following decades. In the 1970s, she released records like Amanhã Ninguém Sabe, blending covers of classic sambas with contemporary compositions and collaborations with important names of MPB, in addition to acting in theatrical and musical shows alongside artists such as Grande Otelo and Paulinho da Viola.

From the 1980s onwards, her recording career entered an ostracism, leading her to performances in small spaces and an independent release in the early 1990s, the album Alma da Festa. Miriam passed away in 1994, but her artistic importance was gradually rescued from the 2000s onwards, with the reissue of her works and the rediscovery of the kavernista movement, consolidating her legacy in the history of Brazilian popular music.

Discography

• Amanhã Ninguém Sabe (1974)
• Alma da Festa (1991)
• A Batucada Não Morreu (2018)
• As Composições de Miriam Batucada - Infiel, Marginal e Artista (2024)