GEORGE FREEDMAN

Jörg Detlef Friedemann was born in Berlin, on 7 August 1940. He was lucky enough to have been brought to Brazil as an infant in the midst of WWII before the Allies would start dropping bomb on Berlin. Jörg's dad was a Berlin native and his mother Marion Isabel from Dusseldorf. The Friedemann family got out of Germany in the nick of time fleeing to South America where Jörg had the chance to grow up in peaceful surroundings in São Paulo. 

He was 17 years old in 1957, when rock'n'roll started giving signs of life in Brazil. Jörg who was very fond of the new rhythm anglicized his name to George Freedman and started rockin' at dances and radio shows. He had already written a song to Marilene, a high school crush of his, and recorded it in 1959, as 'Leninha' a 78 rpm single for California, a tiny independant label.

In 1960, George was signed by German label Polydor that released 3 singles in a row. Teddy Randazzo's 'Pretty blue eyes' was translated by Fred Jorge as 'Olhos cor do céu' and had good air-play. 

In 1961, George was signed by Continental Discos and recorded 'Adivinhão' (a sort of 'Long tall Sally' Brazilian style) b/w 'Inveja' (a rock-ballad), two tunes by Baby Santiago, a Black song-writer who was the first Brazilian ever to write original rock material in Portuguese. 

1962, was George's best year so far. He became popular with teenagers who flocked to see their idols perform 'live' every Saturday afternoon at radio show 'Ritmos para a Juventude' compered by DJ Antonio Aguilar for Radio Nacional Paulista. 

RGE snatched George from Continental and released the album 'Multiplication' that had been a hit with Bobby Darin from the film 'Come September' which Darin had starred with future wife Sandra Dee, Gina Lollobrigida and Rock Hudson.  

1963 and 1964 were hectic years for a lot of people, but George sort of kept a low profile. In 1965 and 1966, Jovem Guarda was all the rage but George was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, in 1967, George was back with a vengeance. He was signed by RCA Victor that released a cover of 'Something stupid' a Nancy & Frank Sinatra duet. George actually sang the duet with himself having his own voice dubbed over itself. 'Coisinha estúpida' went straight to #1 in the charts and made George Freedman very successful. RCA soon released an album called 'George Freedman'. 

George Freedman on the cover of Intervalo in 1967, his 2nd and most successful phase.

By 1970, the furore about Jovem Guarda had already subsided when George Freedman paired off with Waldirene who had come into the rock scene as 'A garota do Roberto', meaning the girl that Roberto Carlos had talked about. George & Waldirene recorded a translation of the Italian quartet I Protagonisti's 'Noi ci amiamo' which went to #1 in the charts as 'Eu te amo, tu me amas'. 

George & Waldirene would pop up everywhere on magazine covers, on radio and TV as being 'sweethearts' but they were only two singers doing their job. 

George kept on the show business for 2 more years and then decided he had to do something on a more regular basis and he went on to work with real estate.  

George Freedman teaches how to twist at Radio Nacional Paulista - Febbruary 1962.

Rockin' at São Paulo's Radio Nacional... The Jordan's Aladin plays away...  

George who towered at 2 metres tall was a sensation at DJ Antonio Aguillar's 'Ritmos para a Juventude' (Rhythms for Youth); Aguillar doubled up as George's manager.

DJ Aguillar & George savour an orange Crush before going on air. 

'Ritmos para a Juventude' was so popular that TV Paulista started broadcasting it on Channel 5. George kept on teaching the hully-gully. 

Hully-Gully baby!

George & Antonio Aguillar... 

George, Wilson Miranda & Antonio Aguillar in 1962.

George & Moacyr, a singer.

José Scatena, George Freedman, duas fãs, Antonio Aguillar e o cantor Fernando José - Fevereiro 1962.

Antonio Aguillar toma a câmera e registra o fato de George Freedman assinando contrato com a RGE, observado pelo dono José Scatena... Fevereiro 1962.

depois de assinado o contrato com a RGE, uma pose para a posteridade, onde se vê algumas fãs, o cantor Fernando José, George Freedman, empresário Antonio Aguillar, o maestro uruguayo Pocho e o compositor Benil Santos.

George Freedman at Revista do Rock in 1960, where he says he traded a solid career as a chemical engineer to become a rock'n'roll singer. 

13 September 1959 - American journalist Mary Wynne had a daily column at 'O Estado de S.Paulo' called 'Mary-go-round' in which she commented about São Paulo night-life. Mary was impressed by Georg's good looks - tall, blond and handsome - and predict a great future for him. Georg would have his first appearance on TV at 'Atrações Pirani' on that very day. Soon, Freedman would be the centre of attention at African Boite and on 25 September 1959, Georg would start a stint at Teatro de Aluminio at Praça da Bandeira.

27 September 1959 - Mary Wynne prints a George Freedman photo at her column and says he had recorded his first 78 rpm single for independent label California: 'Hey, little baby' b/w 'Leninha'.

Radiolandia #375 - 15 April 1962, with Freedman & Celia Vilela playing sweethearts...

Celia Vilela worked for Radiolandia and promoted herself as an entertainer at the same time...

George Freedman tells Celia Vilela at Radiolandia that he thought he would die when the Radio Nacional lift he was in with Ronnie Cord, Tony Campello and others fell all the way to the bottom after one of its cables snapped. Ronnie Cord was the only one who had a broken leg. 

Wilson Miranda recebe medalha de ouro da Revista do Rádio das mãos de Mário Julio; George Freedman recebe sua medalha das mãos de Osvaldo Siccone durante o programa de Julio Rosemberg. Revista do Radio de 29 Abril 1960.

'Revista do Rock', 15 October 1961, with Cleyde Alves & George Freedman... an unknown friend (Roberto Carlos) completes the trio, according to the text. 

Revista do Radio in 1960 with Wilson Miranda & George Freedman in the cover. 

George Freedman na TV Excelsior, Canal 9 com Nenê & Mingo dos Incríveis.

George Freedman Discography 

1959 - Hey, little baby / Leninha (G.Freedman) • Califórnia

1960 

Tinha que ser / O céu do teu olhar • Polydor 

Volta / Só nós dois • Polydor

O tempo e o mar / Olhos cor do céu (Pretty blue eyes) (Teddy Randazzo-Bob Weinstein) • 

1961 

Alguém igual a você / Inspiração • Continental 

Adivinhão (Baby Santiago) / Inveja (Baby Santiago)  • Continental 

1962 

Multiplication XRLP-5176 • RGE • LP

George Freedman em compacto • RGE • EP

O Madison / O jato • RGE 

Um beijinho só / Canção do casamento • RGE 

1963 - Eu o seguirei (I will follow him) / Não brinque Sally • RGE 

1967 

Coisinha estúpida (Something stupid) / Nossa infancia - LC-6320

Um grande amôr / Tudo que eu sinto por você  -  LC-6344

Uma duzia de rosas (Carlos Imperial) / Meu tipo de garota (Nelson Ned) - LC-6363

Coisinha estúpida / Um grande amor / Tudo o que eu sinto por você / Nossa infância • RCA• EP; 25 September 1967. 

George Freedman • RCA Victor • LP

1968 -  Eu te amo /Quando me enamoro • RCA

1970 

Eu te amo, tu me amas (Noi ci amiamo) (Avogadro-Chelon; v.: Miguel Vaccaro) / Quem espera sempre alcança - LC-6609 - George Freedman & Waldirene 

O nosso amor (Magnifica età) / Eu e você (Wilson Miranda-Freedman) LC-6654 George & Waldirene 

1971 - Mater seculorum / Agora que te encontrei • RCA

1972 - Canto em blue (Song sung blue)  / O chinelinho . RCA

I would like to thank Lucinha Zanetti for added information about George Freedman's life and most of the photografic material posted here.

 E talvez mencionar que em 2013 George Freedman voltou ao cenário artístico com uma composição falando da atualidade, com uma bela mensagem de socorro para o planeta. => http://wp.me/p28OqV-1dV

Jörg Detlef Friedemann aka George Freedman died on 9 June 2023, two months short of being 83 years old on 7 August. George had a fall at home, was taken to a hospital and had a cardiac arrest from which he didn't return. 

Freedman's oldest son also named Jörg Detlef Friedemann posted this at Facebook.