'Hoje é dia de rock' was a radio show produced by Jair de Taumaturgo broadcast on Radio Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro. It started circa 1959. One can follow its career through the weekly magazine Revista do Radio beginning November 1959, when Neil Sedaka visited Rio de Janeiro being invited as a special guest on the show.
After 'Rock around the clock' (Ao balanço das horas) was shown in cinemas around Brazil in late 1956, young people were much more interested in the rhythm and bought rock records by the loads. Soon, Brazilian acts were recording rock songs but it took a while for a real Brazilian rock act to prevail.
In 1958, Carlos Gonzaga's cover of Paul Anka's 'Diana' was a national hit.
In 1959, Brazil really rocked with Celly Campello's 'Estúpido cupido' - Neil Sedaka's 'Stupid cupid' translated into Portuguese. Neil Sedaka himself visited Rio and São Paulo in November 1959 and there were a few rock radio shows on different radio stations in Rio and São Paulo.
'Hoje é dia de rock' was one of the first rock radio programmes to appear. Jair de Taumaturgo was director of Rio de Janeiro's Radio Mayrink Veiga and saw a great potential in rock as a new market force. Even though Taumaturgo was 42 years old and had a shock of grey hair he knew what he was doing. He produced the show and asked Isaac Zaltman to compere it. And it was a smash hit.
Neil Sedaka visits 'Hoje é dia de rock' at Radio Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro in November 1959 and is mobbed by teens. Sedaka was hardly known in his own country having had released only 'The diary' before that; 'Hoje é dia de rock' (Today is rock day) was a radio programme broadcast by Radio Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro every day from 6:00 to 6:30 PM. On Saturdays it was broadcast live from the Radio Tupi's auditorim from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. It was produced by Jair de Taumaturgo and presented by MC Isaac Zaltman.
After 'Rock around the clock' (Ao balanço das horas) was shown in cinemas around Brazil in late 1956, young people were much more interested in the rhythm and bought rock records by the loads. Soon, Brazilian acts were recording rock songs but it took a while for a real Brazilian rock act to prevail.
Cine Rian at the heart of Copacabana Beach.
In 1958, Carlos Gonzaga's cover of Paul Anka's 'Diana' was a national hit.
In 1959, Brazil really rocked with Celly Campello's 'Estúpido cupido' - Neil Sedaka's 'Stupid cupid' translated into Portuguese. Neil Sedaka himself visited Rio and São Paulo in November 1959 and there were a few rock radio shows on different radio stations in Rio and São Paulo.
'Hoje é dia de rock' was one of the first rock radio programmes to appear. Jair de Taumaturgo was director of Rio de Janeiro's Radio Mayrink Veiga and saw a great potential in rock as a new market force. Even though Taumaturgo was 42 years old and had a shock of grey hair he knew what he was doing. He produced the show and asked Isaac Zaltman to compere it. And it was a smash hit.
Neil Sedaka visits 'Hoje é dia de rock' at Radio Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro in November 1959 and is mobbed by teens. Sedaka was hardly known in his own country having had released only 'The diary' before that; 'Hoje é dia de rock' (Today is rock day) was a radio programme broadcast by Radio Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro every day from 6:00 to 6:30 PM. On Saturdays it was broadcast live from the Radio Tupi's auditorim from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. It was produced by Jair de Taumaturgo and presented by MC Isaac Zaltman.
12 April 1960 - 'Correio da Manhã''s little biography of Isaac Zaltman born on 16 December 1926.
'Revista do Radio' would print photos of the best impersonations presented on the Saturday afternoon. Here's RR's issue of 13 August 1960. 'Os Perturbados do Rock' dressed as convict prisoners...
The Sh-boom of rock', The Diamonds of Rock were groups of mainly rock dancers who practiced hard at home and showed their prowess on the Saturday radio show.
1961
Em 1961, Carlos Imperial começa sua coluna 'O mundo é dos brotos' na Revista do Radio, onde ele monitora os avanços do rock'n'roll no Brasil. No Rio de Janeiro, Imperial diz que broto é acordado de manhã com o programa Samba-Rock da Ruth Sheila, diariamente pela Radio Vera Cruz; depois liga para a Radio Rio de Janeiro onde Ignácio Heleno seleciona as melhores gravações de Elvis Presley, com uma passagem pelo 'Variedades José Messias'. Vai até o programa de Luiz de Carvalho, na Radio Globo as 10:00 hs., onde sempre há rock e cha-cha-cha. As 11:30 na Radio Tupi, Antonio Magalhães apresenta o seu 'Clube do Rock'. Jair de Taumaturgo, o papa do rock do Brasil apresenta 'Peça bis ao telefone'. Na Radio Metropolitana, Eduardo Araújo apresenta 'Quanto mais rock melhor' às 16:30. Logo as 17:00 o broto encontra os programas 'Clube do rock' e 'Os brotos comandam' pela Radio Guanabara e emenda as 18:00 com 'Hoje é dia de rock', na Radio Mayrink Veiga.
'Revista do Radio' 24 February 1962.
Balanço do rock no Brasil de 1961 feito por Carlos Imperial: Sergio Murilo e Celly Campello mantiveram as corôas de Rei e Rainha do Rock no Brasil. O setor feminino esteve fraco. Sonia Delfino, Cleide Alves e Célia Vilela não convencem como cantoras para a juventude e os brotos brasileiros não as aceitam com suas intérpretes. Estão longe, muito longe de substituírem Celly Campello. Entre os rapazes, sim, a safra foi boa. Além do Rei Sergio Murilo tivemos a grata revelação que foi Demétrius como melhor cantor da juventude de 1961. Roberto Carlos, que está se tornando mania entre os brotos cariocas, teve seu LP classificado como melhor album de música jovem. Ainda, no final de 1961, surgiu um rapaz que será um dos líderes futuros: Wilson Simonal. Renato & seus Blue Caps e os Jet Blacks de São Paulo são absolutos em matéria de conjuntos instrumentais. Entre os disc jockeys de São Paulo, Antonio Aguillar foi a grande revelação juntamente com os 'cobras' Carlos Alberto Lopes e Sergio Galvão. No Rio, Jair de Taumaturgo e os programas do Clube do Rock continuam absolutos.
'Hoje é dia de rock's best contestants of 1961.
1962
Finally in March 1962, 'Hoje é dia de rock' starts on TV Rio, Channel 13, every Sunday at 5:45 PM. Jair Taumaturgo as the producer and Isaac Zaltman as the MC. It is an instant success. But the radio show on Radio Mayrink Veiga goes on unabated.
'Hoje é dia de rock' on TV Rio, Channel 13.
Jair de Taumaturgo was instrumental in signing Maysa for Radio Mayrink Veiga. On the left Maysa hugs him affectionately; on the right Jair de Taumaturgo watches Angela Maria, circa 1955, when she was at the top of her popularity.