Lô Borges

Lô Borges
Lô Borges in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Salomão Borges Filho
Born	(1952-01-10) 10 January 1952 (age 72) Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Genres	MPB progressive rock experimental rock jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter guitarist
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	1972–present

He was one of the founders of Clube da Esquina, a group of musicians that originated in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. He co-authored with Milton Nascimento the album Clube da Esquina in 1972, which was a milestone in Brazilian popular music. Among his most famous compositions are "Paisagem da Janela", "Para Lennon e McCartney", "Clube da Esquina No. 2", "Trem de Doido", and "O Trem Azul".

He is considered one of the most influential composers of Brazilian music, having been recorded by Tom Jobim, Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Flávio Venturini, Beto Guedes, Nenhum de Nós, Ira!, 14 Bis, Skank, Nando Reis, Elba Ramalho, among others.

In the '60s, Borges gathered with other boys at the crossroads of Divinópolis street and Paraisópolis street in the neighborhood of Belo Horizonte's Santa Tereza to converse, play music, sing, and talk about the Beatles, MPB, and jazz. On this corner was the residence of Maricota and Salomão Borges and their 11 children, of which Lô was the sixth.

At 18 years old, Borges, had already shaved his head to serve in the Exército in Belo Horizonte. It was Milton Nascimento who took Borges from the corner in Santa Tereza, where he played violão endlessly. The two already had two collaborations – “Clube da Esquina” and “Para Lennon e McCartney,” recorded on the album Milton in 1970 – when the composer, 10 years his senior, came to Borges, then underage, to invite him to live in Rio de Janeiro and share an album. After monthly apartment changes, they moved into in a paradisiacal house in Piratininga, Niterói.

The record label Odeon recognized the power of Borges while listening to the songs he had composed – “O Trem Azul," “Tudo que Você Podia Ser,” and “Um Girassol da Cor do seu Cabelo” in particular – and did not think twice in offering him a solo debut the same year. His famous self-titled album, known as "disco do tênis" (in English "sneaker record"), was his first solo work, called this because of the pair of Adidas tennis shoes on the cover. When he finished the record, he left Rio and momentarily abandoned his career. He went by bus to Porto Alegre, were he spent ten days, and after rode in a truck to Arembepe, Bahia, where he turned into a hippie for a few months, until returning to Belo Horizonte.

Borges only appeared again in 1978 in the double album Clube da Esquina 2, no longer being co-protagonist like he was on the record in 1972. In 1979, he finally released his second solo album, A Via Láctea, with songs like Equatorial (Lô Borges, Beto Guedes and Márcio Borges, 1979) and Vento de maio (Telo Borges and Márcio Borges, 1979).

In the '80s and '90s, the production of the composer decreased, with four records in total. The change in rthym came when he approached 50 years old, around the time of Y2K.

With the success of the song "Dios Rios," a collaboration with Samuel Rosa and Nando Reis released by the group Skank, in 2003, Borges began to make a name for himself in the market once again.

In 2007, Borges was granted an interview at the Museu da Pessoa [pt], titled "Mistura Musical" (in English "Musical Mixture"), in which he remembered his childhood and his first experience with music. He also recounted meeting Milton Nascimento and the creation of Clube da Esquina.

In 2016, with Samuel Rosa, he released a live CD/DVD with their colloborations.

In 2018, Alex Turner, from Arctic Monkeys, cited Borges' Aos Barões in a list of songs that inspired the album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Borges was very happy about the mention, but was not that familiar with the band's music. He decided to listen to Turner's discography, which he enjoyed, with Tranquility Base being his favourite album.

• 1972: Clube da Esquina (with Milton Nascimento)
• 1972: Lô Borges
• 1979: A Via-Láctea
• 1980: Os Borges
• 1981: Nuvem Cigana
• 1984: Sonho Real
• 1987: Solo - Ao Vivo
• 1996: Meu Filme
• 2001: Feira Moderna
• 2003: Um Dia e Meio
• 2006: Bhanda
• 2008: Harmonia
• 2010: Horizonte Vertical