In late 1963, the captivating sound of two Brazilian brothers performing "Maria Elena" on acoustic guitars captured the attention of audiences worldwide. This record achieved remarkable commercial success, selling several million copies, and despite their extensive career both prior to and following this hit, they are often classified as one-hit wonders.
The brothers hailed from the Tabajara tribe, part of the indigenous population residing in the jungles of Ceará in northern Brazil. Around 1933, a group of Brazilian soldiers visited the tribe, which numbered approximately 800 individuals. Two teenage boys, Muçaperé (meaning "number three" in Tupi) and Erundi (meaning "number four"), who were sons of a chieftain with 14 children, were baptized by the army chaplain. They were given new names by Lieutenant Hildebrando Moreira Lima: Natalício (often shortened to Nato) and Altenor Lima.
Inspired by the adventurous spirit of their military visitors, the brothers departed from their tribe to follow the soldiers. They engaged in hunting, fishing, and various odd jobs, initially unfamiliar with the concept of money. During their journey, they discovered a guitar, likely abandoned by explorers, and cautiously began to experiment with it, eventually realizing it produced music.
After a three-year trek covering over a thousand miles, the brothers arrived in Rio de Janeiro, where they began to perform tribal songs accompanied by their guitar. They busked for change, played in bars, and taught themselves to read and speak Portuguese.
Performing as Los Indios Tabajaras, they appeared on the radio and secured a contract with RCA in 1943. Their recordings targeted the Latin-American market, with their most significant success occurring in Brazil in 1954 with "Pajaro Campana." They delved into classical music, recording pieces by composers such as Chopin, Villa-Lobos, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Notably, Natalício constructed a guitar with 26 frets, allowing him to achieve a higher pitch than the standard 19-fret instrument.
In 1958, Los Indios Tabajaras released the album Sweet and Savage for RCA Records, which featured "Maria Elena." The song, composed by Lorenzo Barcelata in 1930, was named after the wife of Mexican president Emilio Portes Gil. It had previously gained popularity in the U.S. in 1941 through a version by Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra featuring English lyrics sung by Bob Eberle. The brothers' rendition focused solely on their acoustic guitar arrangement.
By 1963, a radio station in New York, WNEW, began using "Maria Elena" to transition in and out of news segments, prompting audience inquiries about the song. Consequently, RCA released "Maria Elena" as a single in the United States, where its gentle melody garnered attention from disc jockeys. At that time, the brothers were working on a ranch outside Rio. Encouraged to wear ceremonial costumes, including feathered headdresses crafted by Altenor, they saw the single climb to No. 6 on the U.S. charts and No. 5 in the UK.
Following this success, they released "Always in My Heart," another noteworthy record, although it did not achieve the same level of acclaim. They continued to produce easy listening albums, including Casually Classic (1966) and Twin Guitars: In a Mood for Lovers (1967). Typically, they donned their indigenous costumes during the first half of their concerts before transitioning to formal dress for classical pieces. They also made regular appearances on The Johnny Carson Show.
Country music producer Chet Atkins encouraged Don Gibson to collaborate with the brothers. However, language barriers and Gibson's challenging demeanor led to the abandonment of their sessions after five tracks. The resulting album, Don Gibson with Spanish Guitars (1966), was ultimately recorded with Nashville session musicians, while the unreleased tracks from the earlier sessions were included in a reissue by Bear Family Records in 1986.
In 1971, Natalício married Michiko Mikami in Tokyo, and they settled in New York. Michiko, who had played piano as a child, took up the guitar after Altenor's retirement in 1979, forming a musical partnership with Natalício. They released the album Beautiful Sounds (1981) and continued touring until recent years when Natalício's health began to decline.
Natalício remained active in performances into the 1990s alongside his wife, Michiko. He passed away in November 2009.
