The Singer Luis Vagner

I was introduced to Luis Vagner by my friend Luis Carlos. Luis made me a cassette record playlist with music that was very special for him and that he loved very much. Within the tape there was this song, Mama África ,  that I myself was very fond of, and couldn't help to play it all the time.

                                         Mama África  -

One of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen was in which Luis Vagner was embracing  his partner, the actress Angela Correia,  and his little son. The three were naked. I made a copy and put it in my house.

My girlfriend Simone Barros came to my home and was shocked when she saw the picture. Simone was the current partner of Luis; she would introduce me to Luis Vagner in person- and to Buddhism.

 In my opinion, every person has a word, like a mantra, that we associate with other people. In the case of Luis, it wasn't just a simple word. The word expressed an attitude: SMILE. Luis always had a  smile on his face, and we always felt as though a bright light shined on us bringing us joy.

But what is the history of this fascinating man?
Vagner Luis Dutra Lopes ( April 20, 1948), better known by the stage name Luis Vagner, is a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. He was born in the city of  Bagé, son of Sulema and Vicente Lopes. His father played Jazz, Choro, Mambos, guitar, and was in Brazialian Copacabana Serenadors orchestra. 

His first guitar was present from his grandfather Romario Lopes Brazil, a photographer, minister  and flutist, and since then he sought music on his own way. Still young, he left home to live in University City in Santa Maria, where he met several musicians like Cauby Peixoto, Lupicínio Rodrigues, among others. During that time, he listened to Severino Araújo and Tabajara Orchestra, as well as musicians like Zé Bodega, which greatly influenced his choice of artistic career.

 Luis Vagner discovered Rock when he saw the film Rock Around the Clock, directed by Fred F. Sears, and started writing some songs.
In 1963, he moved with his family to Porto Alegre and formed the rock band The Jetsons.
In 1966, the band moved to São Paulo and became the band Os Brasas.  The original formation of the Jetsons, were only Edson da Rosa and Luis Vagner, with two members: Anires Mark and Franco Scornovacca (who came to record a samba-rock album in 1978). Today he is producer and musical entrepreneur, and father to brothers trio the KLB. The band had its own repertoire, and Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes (his most constant partner at the time) as the main composers. 

In 1967, the singer and composer Demetrios recorded the song "I hurt your heart," first music  written by Luiz Vagner recorded in  disc .

In 1968, Os Brasas recorded their only album with their own compositions. 

That same year, the singer Ronnie Von  recorded the music Sylvia: 20 hours Sunday, written by Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes.
 In 1969, with the end of Os Brasas, Luis Vagner began working in studios as a musician and producer. Participated in some albums (such as the disc of the band of soul Os Diagonais) 
and his songs were recorded by artists such as the Carioca singer Simonal and Trio Irmãos Esperança.

In 1971, he participated in the album Life and Works of Johnny McCartney as a singer and guitarist along with Potiguar Gileno (Lily Knapp's former partner; They were  a famous young duo - Leno and Lily). The Life and Works of Johnny McCartney was to be the first album recorded in 8 channels in Brazil.

In 1972, he composed one of his most memorable songs: Como?. It was first recorded by the singer and composer Pernambucano Paulo Diniz and later by many Brazilian musicians, including composer and guitarist of Samba-Rock Bebeto.
 Luis Vagner was a hippie, Black Power, beatnik, Rastafarian, and was always in search of happiness, self-knowledge, and realization of all his needs and dreams.

 In 1973, Vagner wrote another song that would make a great success, It is Camisa 10. Vagner wrote the song in partnership with the Carioca composer Helio Mateus, and the song was launched by Santos's Sambista Luiz Américo. The song also became a football anthem.
Luis Vagner has always been passionate about football. He played in his youth in the junior division of Grêmio of Porto Alegre, and in 1989, after the death of his friend Branca de Neve, he moved to France, where he played for a third division soccer club, the Vaux Sur Senne.

In 1974, Vagner recorded his first album, Simple, and fused together the rhythms and musical genres that had accompanied him since childhood. In this disc, the Samba-rock Mas tem zero pro Bedeu as  tribute to Moacir Jorge da Silva, known by popular culture as Bedeu. The song resonates well with ethnic music in Brazil. This album, like some others, is one hundred percent original. That same year he played guitar for the song Experiencia in the album Projeto Salva Terra, sang and composed by Erasmos Carlos.

 In 1975, Vagner recorded the album Cousas e Losas, which is out of print.

That same year Luis Vagner, together with Bebeto, created and composed Segura a Negra, which was part of the Paulistano guitarist's debut album. The song was rediscovered by DJs and twenty-first century Samba-rock groups.

Paulo Diniz recorded the song As Estradas, which was written and composed by Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes.

In 1976 he recorded the album Luis Vagner, which became known as Guitarreiro, because of the success of the song that opens the album, also an autobiography. During this period, he was known as guitarreiro gaucho, a nickname that still accompanies to this day. He continued on the path of musical fusion, with influenced soul, guarânia, and reggae, which still have a great market.

In 1978, Vagner participated in the  Franco Scornovacca disc as a guitarist and had his song Guitarreiro re-recorded in this album. 

. . .and composes Se Você Chora por Mim and. . .

Gandaia, together with singer-songwriter Wando 's songs in the album Eu Gosto de Maçã.

Vagner's composition Guria is part of the soundtrack of Rede Globo's soap opera Dancin' Days.

In 1979, he recorded another album: Fusão de Raças, a more pop culture line of work, while facing more musical diversity.

In 1981, he was honored by the Carioca singer and composer Jorge Ben, with whom he lived during the time of the Jovem Guarda. The song Luis Vagner Guitarreiro started the album Bem-vinda Amizade.

 The samba songs Embrulheira and Como? were recorded by Bebeto in their eponymous album.

 In 1982, he recorded the album Pelo Amor de Novas Pessoas (for love of the new people) and participates in the MPB samba festival Criollo Glorioso by Jorge Ben.

In 1983 Vagner recorded the song made by Jorge Ben named Gretchen, as a feature in the album that bears the name of the singer, and recorded a clip.

In 1985, Luis Vagner was featured in another Brazilian music festival.

In 1986, Vagner released his first live album O som da negadinha, rebuffing the success of his career.

In 1987, Vagner had his song Oi recorded by singer Branca de Neve. And started to practice Buddhism.

In 1988, Vagner recorded the reggae album Consciência.

Vagner joins Tony Tornado, Lady Zu, Carlinhos Trumpete, and Tony Bizarro to record the vinyl Alma Negra.
 In 1989, Vagner conducted a tour to southern Brazil, on release of the album Conciência, which was boycotted by Copacabana Label, which did not send the album to stores.

In 1990 Vagner and producer Mauro Pinheiro, at the invitation of loyal friend and musical producer and percussionist Luiz Carlos de Paula, decided to make a trip to France and there they recordes "Framed" with the band Amis Fidelis. This work has not been released in Brazil. The work was recorded in two stages. First it was recorded  live in Jazz à Vienne, one of the biggest music festivals in France and the second in a studio on the outskirts of Paris called John Lennon. From 1989 to 1991, the musician and producer settled in the city of Vaux Sur Senne, a small village 40 km away from Paris.

In 1992, returning to Brazil, Vagner opened a show at Aeroanta which received the band Os Chorões. 

In 1994, released "Go tell that he did not see me ...,"  Vagner came back to his old partnership with producer Nilton Ribeiro and wrote the Paradox Brasil Afrosurrealism with the constant presence of reggae and "Swingante" which returns to samba rock.

In 2001, with the return of samba-rock to the music scene, he managed new projects and performed in several houses in São Paulo and Porto Alegre. At such times, he often had special features of São Paulo's band Balance Club, which had in its three songs debut from vinil Guitarreiro.

In 2009 , Luis Vagner was invited by musician-percussionist and producer Luiz Paula Carlos, to participate in an international project, part of "The Jamming Caribbean Group", a Bob Marley Tribute, performing 12 shows in Monte-Carlo.
In  2010 Vagner returned to Monaco and was called by Groupo Sandalhas Prateadas to attend their shows.
In 2011, Vagner was part of the project A Companhia Samba e Funk, performing 10 shows in Monaco. That same year Vagner returned to Brazil and shared the stage with his group Amigos Leais, touring multiple Brazilian cities.
In 2014, he returned to the city of Porto Alegre, where he currently resides.

He now had a Radio show called Na Trilha Guitarreira.