Ronnie's father, Herve Cordovil (born on 2nd February 1914, in Viçosa-MG) had been in the centre of creativity of Brazilian pop music in the 1930s and 1940s writing songs in partnership with none other than the greatest of them all: Noël Rosa - 1935's 'Triste cuíca' recorded by Aracy de Almeida and 'O que você fazia?' recorded by Carmen Miranda. Miranda also recorded Cordovil's 'Dia de Natal', 'Samba' plus 'Alô, Alô Carnaval' (Herve wrote the music, Janeiro Ramos the lyrics) with her sister Aurora Miranda for the 1936 movie of same name.
In 1940, Herve moved to São Paulo to work at Radio Tupi. In 1941, Herve married Daicy Portugal and had 3 boys (Ronald, Norman & Herve Junior) and a girl (Maria Regina).
In 1950 Herve had 2 big hits: 'Sabiá lá na gaiola' sung by Carmelia Alves, co-written with Mario Vieira and 'Pé de manacá' which Herve recorded himself in a duet with Isaura Garcia that went to #1 all over the country. Soon, Herve became manager and A&P man at Copacabana Discos.
In 1960, when Brazilian rock'n'roll was getting more and more popular, Herve thought he might launch a new international rock star in the guise of his own son Ronald Cordovil (born on 22nd January 1943, in Manhuaçu-MG) who had a pleasant voice, had taken English seriously as a subject-matter and had learned a few chords playing his American steel guitar. First thing Herve had Ronald shortened his name to Ronnie Cord.
Then, Herve chose 16 year-old Brian Hyland's 'Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini' which had hit #1 at the singles chart in the USA on 8 August 1960, for Ronnie to cover. Ronnie's cover turned out better than the original due to Herve's careful production. He even went out of his way to include a munchkin's choir sing the chorus.
By December 1960, Ronnie was #1 in the Brazilian charts with 'Bikini'. We kids thought it was an American recording like Elvis's, Anka's or Sedaka's.
Having reached the top of the charts with only his second record ('Pretty blue eyes' had been Ronnie's very 1st single for Copacabana) was maybe a fluke. The problem now was to get a follow up to 'Bikini'. Ronnie Cord would have to wait a few years for it to happen. Cord's 'Look for a star' was a middling hit along side with other people's versions. Through 1961, 1962 and 1963 Ronnie had a few albums released with no big hits coming out of them.
In early 1964, something happened. Herve Cordovil thought he might sit down and write a rock tune himself. Why not? Instead of covering a foreign hit he would write himself a song with an appeal to young people's tastes. 'Rua Augusta' is considered by many a-rock historians as being the very first Brazilian rock recording.
Whether 'Rua Augusta' is the first rock'n'roll tune written in Brazilian-Portuguese or not is beyond the point. 'Rua Augusta' turned out to be a big hit all over the country ushering in a lot of other songs dealing with cars, traffic, speed and play-boys. Roberto Carlos, who would soon become the biggest rock act in the country released 'Parei na contra-mão' (I stopped at a one-way street) soon after.
As a follow-up to 'Rua Augusta', Herve Cordovil adapted the words of Ronnie's 1960 hit 'Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini' into Portuguese as 'Biquini de bolinha amarelinha tão pequenininho' and it went to the top do the charts again 4 years later. The girl with the tiny bikini in the Brazilian version is called Anna Maria, who was the name of Ronnie's real-life sweet-heart. Anna Maria was an Italian girl who came to Brazil to visit and decided to stay.
Ronnie and Anna Maria got married on 24 June 1965, at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Pinheiros and settled down at his parents's house on Rua Cutuiçara next to Praça Coronel Fernandes de Lima, in Moema. Ronnie opened a record-shop on Avenida Santo Amaro, not too far from where he lived. Ronnie's father-in-law and sister-in-law took care of the record-bar when he was away.
Ronnie & Anna Maria kept a low profile with their 3 children, Adriana being born on 2 January 1966.
Unfortunately, Ronnie died of lung cancer at the young age of 42 on 6 January 1986, at Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital.
His sister Maria Regina Cordovil is on FB and is very corteous to her brother's fans.
In 1940, Herve moved to São Paulo to work at Radio Tupi. In 1941, Herve married Daicy Portugal and had 3 boys (Ronald, Norman & Herve Junior) and a girl (Maria Regina).
In 1950 Herve had 2 big hits: 'Sabiá lá na gaiola' sung by Carmelia Alves, co-written with Mario Vieira and 'Pé de manacá' which Herve recorded himself in a duet with Isaura Garcia that went to #1 all over the country. Soon, Herve became manager and A&P man at Copacabana Discos.
In 1960, when Brazilian rock'n'roll was getting more and more popular, Herve thought he might launch a new international rock star in the guise of his own son Ronald Cordovil (born on 22nd January 1943, in Manhuaçu-MG) who had a pleasant voice, had taken English seriously as a subject-matter and had learned a few chords playing his American steel guitar. First thing Herve had Ronald shortened his name to Ronnie Cord.
Then, Herve chose 16 year-old Brian Hyland's 'Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini' which had hit #1 at the singles chart in the USA on 8 August 1960, for Ronnie to cover. Ronnie's cover turned out better than the original due to Herve's careful production. He even went out of his way to include a munchkin's choir sing the chorus.
By December 1960, Ronnie was #1 in the Brazilian charts with 'Bikini'. We kids thought it was an American recording like Elvis's, Anka's or Sedaka's.
Having reached the top of the charts with only his second record ('Pretty blue eyes' had been Ronnie's very 1st single for Copacabana) was maybe a fluke. The problem now was to get a follow up to 'Bikini'. Ronnie Cord would have to wait a few years for it to happen. Cord's 'Look for a star' was a middling hit along side with other people's versions. Through 1961, 1962 and 1963 Ronnie had a few albums released with no big hits coming out of them.
In early 1964, something happened. Herve Cordovil thought he might sit down and write a rock tune himself. Why not? Instead of covering a foreign hit he would write himself a song with an appeal to young people's tastes. 'Rua Augusta' is considered by many a-rock historians as being the very first Brazilian rock recording.
Whether 'Rua Augusta' is the first rock'n'roll tune written in Brazilian-Portuguese or not is beyond the point. 'Rua Augusta' turned out to be a big hit all over the country ushering in a lot of other songs dealing with cars, traffic, speed and play-boys. Roberto Carlos, who would soon become the biggest rock act in the country released 'Parei na contra-mão' (I stopped at a one-way street) soon after.
As a follow-up to 'Rua Augusta', Herve Cordovil adapted the words of Ronnie's 1960 hit 'Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini' into Portuguese as 'Biquini de bolinha amarelinha tão pequenininho' and it went to the top do the charts again 4 years later. The girl with the tiny bikini in the Brazilian version is called Anna Maria, who was the name of Ronnie's real-life sweet-heart. Anna Maria was an Italian girl who came to Brazil to visit and decided to stay.
Ronnie and Anna Maria got married on 24 June 1965, at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Pinheiros and settled down at his parents's house on Rua Cutuiçara next to Praça Coronel Fernandes de Lima, in Moema. Ronnie opened a record-shop on Avenida Santo Amaro, not too far from where he lived. Ronnie's father-in-law and sister-in-law took care of the record-bar when he was away.
Ronnie & Anna Maria kept a low profile with their 3 children, Adriana being born on 2 January 1966.
Unfortunately, Ronnie died of lung cancer at the young age of 42 on 6 January 1986, at Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital.
His sister Maria Regina Cordovil is on FB and is very corteous to her brother's fans.
25 August 1960 - 'Correio da Manhã' - Rossini Pinto writes a little biography of Ronnie Cord for his column 'Esquina Sonora'.
Ronnie Cord with a broken leg and his dad Herve Cordovil
Mother watches as Ronnie's kid sister Maria Regina signs her name on his plaster cast.
Ronnie Cord in 2 phases of his recording career; on the left he's a young man recording at Copacabana Discos; on the right Ronnie is signed with multinational RCA Victor.
brothers Hervé Junior, Norman & Ronald Cordovil sing at 'Jovem Guarda' at TV Rio, channel 13 in Rio de Janeiro in 1965.
Ronnie Cord discography
LC-6047 - 'Rua Augusta', Ronnie's biggest hit ever - 1964.
LC-6067 - 'Biquini de bolinha amarelinha tão pequenininho' b/w 'Veludo azul' (Blue velvet).
LC-6091 - 'My bonnie' b/w 'Eu e o luar'.
LC-6121 - 'Eu vou à praia' (Herve C.) / Amor, perdoa-me (Amore scusami) v.: Julio Nagib - 1965
Ronnie is signed up by Polydor in 1967. His repertoire does not change: more Anglo-covering hits: 'Só eu e você' - Herman Hermits' 'There's a kind of rush' b/w 'Felizes juntinhos' - The Turtles' 'Happy together'.
while still under contract at RCA Ronnie recorded this single for Rio de Janeiro's independent lable Equipe: 'Um brinde à lua' b/w 'Mulher e meia' both songs written by his father Herve Cordovil. It looks like it was a Carnaval recording.
20 July 1961 - 'Itsy bitsy teenie... bikini' was such a huge hit that Rossini Pinto posted the lyrics of a parody - 'O velhinho e o biquine' - written by Mario Barcelos & Marisa de Brito in his column at 'Correio da Manhã'.
'Correio da Manhã', 11 June 1960; Ronnie Cord's first E.P. is reviewed.
Ronnie Cord com Betinho - Ronnie's very 1st EP for Copacabana - CP-4589.
EP 3369 - Ronnie covers Nat King Cole's 'Ramblin' Rose' (Rosa, meu amor) #2 for 2 weeks at Billboard on 18 August 1962; Pino Donaggio's 'La ragazza col maglione' (Brotinho do pulover) & 'Pera matura' plus 'Sandy', penned by Ronnie himself.
'Tonight, my love, tonight' Ronnie's 2nd album - 1961.
'Remember?' with a different cover re-released through the Som label.
Ronnie & fellow singer Agnaldo Rayol in 1965 on the cover of Revista do Radio (816).
Ronnie at the height of his popularity.
Ronnie in his 2nd phase at RCA; after the initial success of 'Rua Augusta' and 'Biquini de bolinha amarelinha', when he tried to cash in on the Italian invasion to no avail.
Os Cords, brothers Ronnie & Norman Cord covered 'Ascolta nel vento' recorded in Italian by British band The Rokes; 'C'è una strana espressione nei tuoi occhi' The Rokes' cover of Jackie De Shannon's 'When you walk in the room', The Beatles' 'Girl' and the Mamas & Papas' 'Monday, Monday' (Dia lindo). Needless to say it went nowhere. Times had changed. Brazilians wrote their own rock music now. Covering foreign hits was a minor occupation.
Radiolandia visits Herve Cordovil with Maria Regina at his side, wife Daici & Ronnie Cord who sang in English and was 'discovered' by Emilio Vitale, a Copacabana Records director while listening to demo tapes.
Radiolandia #340, 1st November 1960.
Ronnie Cord in 1966.
'Melodias' magazine - June 1966 - in the person of Fred Jorge, pays a visit to Ronnie Cord & wife Anna Maria in their home in São Paulo for an article about their daughter Adriana Cordovil who was born on 2nd January 1966 and was 3 months old by the time of this article.
