A pioneer of Brazilian rock, Erasmo Carlos leaves a legacy worthy of a "Tremendão" (a legendary Brazilian rock musician).

The year 2022 was cruel to Brazilian music, taking away names like Elza Soares, Rolando Boldrin and Gal Costa, among others. This Tuesday (22), it also took Erasmo Carlos, the “Tremendão”, one of the pioneers of rock in Brazil and an icon of Jovem Guarda - a movement that alongside Roberto Carlos and Wanderléa shook up Brazilian musical culture in the mid-1960s - and also MPB. 

Born in 1941 and christened Erasmo Esteves, the rock fan – a self-confessed admirer of Elvis Presley – and until then unknown musician, began his artistic career in 1957 in a band called “The Sputniks,” which included among its members a certain Sebastião Rodrigues Maia, who would later be known as Tim Maia, the greatest exponent of Brazilian Soul Music. Tim Maia is also said to have taught his friend to play the guitar. 

His friendship with Roberto Carlos began in 1958, when the "King" sought him out to ask for the lyrics to the song "Hound Dog," a classic by Elvis Presley, for a TV program. From then on, the partnership turned into a virtually indivisible friendship. Later, he adopted "Carlos" as part of his stage name in homage to his partner, with whom he composed more than 200 songs throughout his career.

The band, however, quickly broke up due to a fight between Roberto and Tim Maia and was renamed "The Snakes". Afterwards, he turned to songwriting and even became the singer of the group "Renato e Seus Blue Caps". In 1964, he released the solo album "Terror dos namorados", one of his first collaborations with Roberto, which launched him to another level. One detail: the nickname "Tremendão" was taken from a clothing and accessories store he owned in the 1960s.

It was during this time that he recorded his first hit - "Festa de arromba" - a collaboration with Roberto Carlos. Also from this period is the song "Quero que vá tudo pro inferno," which became a kind of anthem of the Jovem Guarda movement.

In 1966, however, a setback occurred. He, along with Eduardo Araújo and Carlos Imperial, was accused of corruption of minors. All were acquitted some time later. The partnership with Roberto broke down that year because the "King" was deeply irritated by Erasmo's participation in "Show em Si...monal," a program that the also brilliant Wilson Simonal presented on TV Record. The partnership was resumed about a year later with the song "Eu sou terrível" (I am terrible).

Another notable partnership was with the singer Gal Costa, who, like Erasmo, passed away in November of this year. He was the composer of the song "Meu nome é Gal" (My name is Gal), one of the artist's greatest hits that marked Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). 

"The name I gave to the song I wrote in partnership with Roberto for her is very powerful: My name is Gal, which ended up becoming the name of a song, a movie. I also gave it another name, Muse of Any Season, emphasizing that Gal is a work of art," said "Tremendão" on social media shortly after the singer's death. 

He also marked a much younger generation by recording the CD “Pra falar de amor” in 2001, where a new partnership was established with artists such as Carlinhos Brown, Marisa Monte and Marcelo Camelo. This Tuesday (22), a few hours after Erasmo's death was reported, Nando Reis, former member of Titãs, said that the group also drank from the Jovem Guarda source. "I compare Roberto and Erasmo to Lennon and McCartney," said the musician in an interview with GloboNews.

Speaking of social media, Erasmo Carlos' last Instagram post was on November 18th, when he thanked everyone for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock or Alternative Music Album in Portuguese, "O Futuro Pertence À... Jovem Guarda" (The Future Belongs to... Jovem Guarda). Released in February of this year, the album is an EP with eight songs in which the artist revisited songs from the Jovem Guarda period that he had never recorded before. 

Erasmo Carlos was called this Tuesday (22) to play on another plane, but he leaves for those who remained here a legacy consisting of 682 songs, 643 recordings registered at the Central Office for Collection and Distribution (Ecad), more than 800 compositions and 38 albums in his career.