Musician Lô Borges, Clube da Esquina co-founder, dies at 73
Lô Borges, born Salomão Borges Filho, one of the leading figures in Brazilian popular music and a member of the iconic Clube da Esquina, died on Sunday night (Nov. 2) at the age of 73.
The cause was multiple organ failure, according to a statement from Hospital Unimed in Belo Horizonte, where he had been hospitalized since October 17 for drug poisoning.
Alongside singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges was one of the founders of the Clube da Esquina movement, which helped revolutionize Brazilian music in the 1970s and 1980s.
The movement, named after a 1972 album of the same name, fused rock, jazz, and psychedelic influences with the traditions of MPB (Brazilian popular music) and the sounds of Minas Gerais state, creating a timeless and intricate musical style.
Some of Lô Borges’ songs include O Trem Azul, Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo, and Tudo Que Você Podia Ser.
His songs have been recorded by Tom Jobim, Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Flávio Venturini, Beto Guedes, 14 Bis, Skank, and Nando Reis, among others.
Lô Borges ao lado do cantor Milton Nascimento. Foto Instagram/miltonbitucanascimento
Singer Milton Nascimento, a longtime partner of Lô Borges since their youth, paid tribute to his friend on social media.
“Lô leaves behind a huge void and deep longing. Brazil has lost one of its most brilliant, inventive, and unique artists. We send much love and strength to the Borges family, who welcomed Bituca when he arrived in Belo Horizonte,” wrote Milton Nascimento on Instagram.
Nascimento was 20 when he met Lô, who was only 10. They lived in the same building in Belo Horizonte, Minas state. A few years later, in 1972, when Nascimento was already a well-known singer and songwriter, they formed the partnership that would become known as Clube da Esquina. The album of the same name - featuring Beto Guedes, Fernando Brant, Ronaldo Bastos, Flávio Venturini, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, and Novelli - was released that year and became one of the great milestones of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB).
