Charlie Brown Jr. was a Brazilian
rock band from
Santos, São Paulo. The group was popular with disadvantaged youth because of their relatable commentary about social issues and the frequent use of
skate punk and
hip hop slang in their songs. The band won two
Latin Grammy Awards and was one of the most-popular Brazilian bands of the late 1990s to mid-2000s.[1]
Vocalist
Chorão's drug
addiction and disagreements with other musicians frequently overshadowed the band. Chorão was the only founding member to remain through several line-up changes. After Chorão died of a
cocaine overdose on March 6, 2013, the band disbanded.[2]
In 2015, the streaming platform
Deezer reported that Charlie Brown Jr. was the second most-listened-to Brazilian band outside Brazil.[3] In a
Spotify survey also from 2015, the band placed 31st out of the 47 most-popular bands and artists.[4]
History
Early years
Chorão formed the band What's Up, shortly after his move from
São Paulo to
Santos, in 1987.[5] After a line-up change in 1990, twelve-year-old bassist
Champignon joined the band, followed by
Marcão,
Renato Pelado, and
Thiago Castanho. In 1992, Chorão revamped What's Up with a new name. He chose Charlie Brown Jr., explaining that
Charlie Brown came from when he crashed his car into a coconut stand with a drawing of
Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts on it. The "Jr." alluded to the fact that he considered himself and the band "the children of
rock".[6]
What's Up and Charlie Brown Jr. developed a heavy style influenced by
crossover thrash and
hardcore punk, with lyrics in
English. Some of Chorão's greatest inspirations were
Blink-182,
Sublime,
Bad Brains,
NOFX,
Suicidal Tendencies,
Biohazard,
Faith No More, and
311.[7] The band initially struggled because most members had to rent or borrow their instruments, often forcing the band to cancel performances. Champignon, who was underage, needed a permit signed by his parents to perform at shows.
In early 1999, the band released a promotional
extended play entitled Aquele Luxo! as a teaser for a forthcoming album. Preço Curto... Prazo Longo came out on March 6, 1999, and was the band's longest album, with 25 tracks.[12][13] Chorão later said it was recorded out of necessity because the band did not have much of an original repertoire for their live shows. The album's first single, "
Zóio de Lula", was released on April 1, 1999.[14] It was the band's first song to reach first place on Brazilian radio. The band made a music video for the single, featuring a then-19-year-old
Luize Altenhofen.[15]
The band's fourth album, Abalando a Sua Fábrica, came out on November 01, 2001, under their new label
EMI. It was their first recording as a quartet and the band shifted away from their
rap rock-inflected
sonority, toward a "rawer" style influenced by
punk and
garage rock.[18] The band achieved this sound by recording all instrumental parts simultaneously as if they were recording live.[19]
In 2002, Charlie Brown Jr. released their first
DVD, Charlie Brown Jr. ao Vivo, recorded live at a concert at the DirecTV Music Hall in São Paulo. Later, this show was broadcast by
direct broadcast satellite service provider
DirecTV.[20] That year, the band toured internationally, with a leg in
Portugal. After a Portuguese newspaper critic called them "bocas ordinárias", a Portuguese expression for a "foul-mouthed" person, Chorão decided to use this as the name of their next album.[21]Bocas Ordinárias was considered one of the band's best albums by fans and critics alike, earning a nomination for the Latin Grammy Award in
2003. Chorão dedicated the album to singer
Cássia Eller, a friend who died the year prior.[22]
Their sixth studio album, Tamo Aí na Atividade, came out in December 2004 and won the Latin
Grammy Award in
2005. However, its recording sessions were plagued by creative differences and clashes between Chorão and his bandmates. By early 2005, Champignon, Marcão, and Renato Pelado left the group.[25] Chorão announced that Charlie Brown Jr. was on hiatus for an indeterminate time, leading many to speculate that the band was splitting up.[26]
Charlie Brown Jr. returned from their hiatus with a new line-up: bassist
Heitor Gomes, drummer/beatboxer
Pinguim Ruas, and original founding member Thiago Castanho on guitar.[27] Their album, Imunidade Musical, featured a guest appearance by rapper
Rappin' Hood. It was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in
2006. Around the same time, the band released a DVD, Skate Vibration, recorded at the inauguration of Chorão's Skate Park.
The band released Ritmo, Ritual e Responsa in 2007.MV Bill,
João Gordo,
Paranormal Attack, and
Forfun were guest musicians on the album.[28]Ritmo, Ritual e Responsa was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in
2008. It was the first part of the soundtrack of the film O Magnata, which was written and co-produced by Chorão. The film also included cameos by Chorão and the other Charlie Brown Jr. members. However, O Magnata was a moderate box office success, receiving mixed to negative reviews.[29][30][31]
The band released a performance DVD to promote the release of Ritmo, Ritual e Responsa ao Vivo in 2008. However, Pinguim was not in the band by the time the DVD was released; his contract had expired and both parties were uninterested in renewing it. He was replaced by
Bruno Graveto.
2010s
Camisa 10 Joga Bola Até na Chuva was Charlie Brown Jr.'s ninth album and won the Latin Grammy Award in
2010. It was their final release with Heitor Gomes, who left in 2011 to join
CPM 22. "Só os Loucos Sabem", a single from this album, became one of the band's highest-charting hits.[32] Chorão originally wrote "O Dom, a Inteligência e a Voz", another track on the album, for
Cássia Eller in 2001, but she died before recording the song.[33]
In 2010, the band composed the opening theme for the
variety showLegendários, hosted by
Marcos Mion on
RecordTV.[34] In 2011 Chorão announced that Marcão and Champignon were returning to the band. Their first recording under this new line-up, Música Popular Caiçara, was released in CD, DVD, and
Blu-ray formats. It was recorded in 2011 during performances in
Curitiba and Santos.
Liminha was its producer and
KondZilla was the director. The CD version was released as two volumes: the first concomitantly with the DVD and Blu-ray, and the second four years later, in 2016.
By 2011, Chorão's
drug abuse issues began to take their toll on his life and health, causing his divorce from his long-time companion, Graziela "Grazon" Gonçalves. He wrote the song "Céu Azul", included in the band's 2012 release Música Popular Caiçara, for Gonçalves following their divorce.[35]
In 2012, the band began work on a new studio album, La Familia 013.[36] Its first single, "Meu Novo Mundo", premiered in February 2013. On March 6, Chorão died in his apartment following a
cocaine overdose.[37][38] As a result, the album was left unfinished. After a hiatus, the band resumed work on the unfinished instrumental parts. The band unveiled the album's cover art on July 7, 2013.[39]La Familia 013 was released on October 8, 2013. In 2014, it received the band's fifth Latin Grammy Award nomination.
Following the death of Chorão, the remaining band members formed
A Banca, a
tribute act to both Chorão and Charlie Brown Jr.[44] In August, they released the
single "
O Novo Passo", which was selected by Rolling Stone Brasil as one of the best Brazilian songs of the year.[45][46][47][48] Nevertheless, some Charlie Brown Jr. fans criticized Champignon for "not respecting Chorão's death" and "not mourning it properly", dismissing him as a "cash-grabber", a "traitor" and a "
Judas".[49] Even though Champignon vehemently denied such claims, the constant criticism eventually led him into depression.[50][51] On September 9, 2013, he shot himself in the head with a
.380 ACP pistol.[52][53]
Except for Thiago Castanho, the existing members of A Banca later regrouped as
Bula and went on to form D'Chapas.[54][55][56][57]
Reunions
In January 2019,
Marcão Britto,
Heitor Gomes, and
Pinguim Ruas reformed Charlie Brown Jr. for a series of shows held throughout the year, with guest vocalists such as Dinho Ouro Preto of
Capital Inicial, Di Ferrero of
NX Zero, Digão of
Raimundos, and
Supla.[58] Although the reunion had the approval of Chorão's son Alexandre, it was heavily criticized by Chorão's ex-wife Graziela Gonçalves, former guitarist Thiago Castanho, and music critic Mauro Ferreira of
G1.[59][60][61][62][63][64]
On February 1, 2021, Alexandre announced that the band would reunite once more for the Chorão 50 Tour in Brazil, celebrating what would have been his father's 50th birthday.[65][66] This time, Thiago Castanho returned as the band's guitarist.[67] Fronted by former
Tihuana vocalist Egypcio, the line-up consisted of all former Charlie Brown Jr. band members except for its first drummer Renato Pelado.[68] On October 25, 2021, Marcão and Castanho departed the tour, citing creative divergences with Alexandre.[69]
Legacy
On April 13, 2014, Chorão's son Alexandre organized the Tamo Aí na Atividade Festival in
São Bernardo do Campo to celebrate the legacy of Charlie Brown Jr. and the deaths of his father and Champignon. The date coincides with the 22nd anniversary of the band's first live performance in 1992.[70] Although a DVD of the festival was initially planned, Alexandre stated that, due to "bureaucratic reasons", it never came through.[71]
On March 29, 2015, a biographical
musical about Chorão, entitled Dias de Luta, Dias de Glória, premiered. It was written by
Well Rianc and directed by the sibling duo Bruno and Luiz Sorrentino. Rapper DZ6 starred as Chorão.[72][73] Despite positive critical reception, Chorão's brother, Ricardo Abrão, lambasted the musical as being "disrespectful" and "inaccurate".[74]
In 2017, Alexandre published the book Eu Estava Lá Também, a compilation of his father's photographs and memoirs, dating from 2005 to 2012.[75][76] In 2020, Alexandre revealed that, shortly after Chorão's death, he had ordered a diamond made of a lock of his father's hair.[77] Chorão's ex-wife, Graziela Gonçalves, published her memoirs, Se Não Eu, Quem Vai Fazer Você Feliz?, in 2018.
In 2017,
Universal Music Group re-released the band's debut, Transpiração Contínua Prolongada, in a special 20th-anniversary deluxe edition.[78] To celebrate what would have been Chorão's 49th birthday and the 20th anniversary of the release of Charlie Brown Jr.'s single "Zóio de Lula" on April 9, 2019, UMG re-issued a special edition containing the song's original version and a new
cover featuring
Marcelo D2,
Hungria Hip Hop,
Nação Zumbi, and
Maneva.[79][80][81]
In 2020, the band's song "Confisco" was included in the soundtrack of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.[82][83] On March 15, 2021, Chorão's son struck a deal with
Sony Music to release a compilation of outtakes and other rarities by Charlie Brown Jr.[84] The live album/DVD Chegou Quem Faltava, originally recorded during a show in São Paulo in 2011, was released on July 13, 2021.[85][86][87]
On April 11, 2023, Universal Music announced a greatest hits compilation to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Chorão's death.[88] On July 17, 2023, Universal Music released a deluxe boxset, simply entitled Charlie Brown Jr., containing the band's entire studio discography plus the video album Ritmo, Ritual e Responsa ao Vivo, which came out in CD format for the first time.[89]
Films
Shortly after Chorão died in 2013, film producers Felipe Elias, Victor Santini Stockler, and Roberta Franco launched a
crowdfunding campaign on the website Catarse to finance a documentary Marginal Alado. The campaign raised
R$41,513.00, surpassing its original goal of R$35,000.00.[90] Directed by
Felipe Novaes, the documentary premiered at festivals across Brazil in 2019.[91] Its theatrical release in 2020 was postponed to April 8, 2021, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.[92][93]
In 2017, filmmaker Gabriel Mellin announced he was working on a
biopic about Champignon, entitled Champ. Mellin wrote its script with Champignon's widow, Claudia Bossle.[94][95][96] On September 4, 2020, actor
José Loreto expressed his desire to portray Chorão in a potential biopic.[97]