The singer Paula Ribas, 91 years old, who was nicknamed the “queen of the twist”, died today, in the Cascais hospital, where she was admitted, her husband, the musician Luís N’Gambi, told the Lusa agency. success in the 1960s, in Portugal, with hits such as ” Vamos Dançar o Twist “, of which she was called “queen”, and in 1970 she headed to Brazil, where she remained for 20 years.Paula Ribas, given her given name Ilídia Dias Ribas , was born in Faro, on February 23, 1942, and made her debut in 1952 on the radio program “Ouvindo as Estrelas”. Niece of the actress Virgínia (1850-1922), she had studied piano and solfeggio at the National Conservatory, where she was a student of Campos Coelho and Marieta Amstad.The composer Carlos Nóbrega e Sousa, a family friend, led her to exchange classical music for light music and, at the age of 17, she participated in a new talent competition run by the then National Broadcaster.The singer was building her career with themes such as “This is Lisbon”, “Ai Algarve”, “É Assim a Madeira” and “Ruas da Minha Cidade”. In 1965 he signed a contract with the record company Alvorada and recorded several versions of the great international hits, adapted by António José , who later worked with Marco Paulo. In theater he was the “national attraction” in the magazine “E Viva o Velho” (1966) which included, among others, António Mourão (1935-2013), Camilo de Oliveira (1924-2016 ) and Io Appolloni, Luísa Durão (1899–1977) and Costinha (1896-1976). In this revue he performed the hit “Maria Lisboa”, by Eduardo Damas and Manuel Paião. In the following magazine “Ri-te, Ri-te” he stood out with the song “Quatro Estações”, by José Mesquita. In cinema, he starred, with António Calvário, in the film “O Amor Desceu de Paraquedas” (1968), by Constantino Esteves, and “Férias em Portugal”, alongside Dalida (1933-1987) and Alberto Cortez, a film that was never shown in public. Also with Madalena Iglésias, António Silva and Tonicha, he appeared in “Sarilho de Fraldas” (1967), by Constantino Esteves. Ribas signed a contract with the Spanish record company Belter, which he represented at the song festivals in Benidorm, Málaga, Las Palmas and Orense, in Spain.At the beginning of the 1970s, Paula Ribas traveled to S. Paulo, Brazil, where she was the attraction of the program “Caravela da Saudade”, on TV Tupi.Ribas debuted in Brazil with 20 albums and performances in 17 countries, with recordings, singing in several languages. In 1970, he participated in the Rio de Janeiro International Song Festival, with “Canção da Paz Para Todos Nós”, by Francisco Nicholson and Jorge Costa Pinto. He returned to Brazil in 1972, when he set residence in S. Paulo, having been hired by the restaurant Avril au Portugal. In 1974 she recorded the LP “Fados Brasileiros”, with compositions and poems by Vinicius de Moraes, Cecília Meireles, Chico Buarque, Caco Velho, Chico Alves, Caetano Veloso and Dorival Caymmi, among others, which was followed by “Portugal Hoje”, composed only of versions of themes by José Afonso, in collaboration with the musician Luis N’Gambi, whom she had married in Angola. The singer led the cast of the musical “Brasil em Três Tempos”, which was on stage for 18 months, at the Hotel Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a tour of Brazil with the show “Navegar É Preciso”, which gave rise to an album of the same name. In 1981, he recorded the album “Tudo Isto É Fado”, also with Luís N’Gambi, with whom he also made the anthological album “Angola – Folclore e Canções Tradicionais”, to demonstrate the musical affinities between the rhythms of samba and semba. In Portugal with the record label Discossete recorded two albums that include hits such as “Amar Você”, “Eu e Você” and “Chuvas de Verão”. In January 2015, Paula Ribas and Luís N’Gambi were honored in Lisbon, at Chapitô, with the participation of the poet Ricardo Maria Louro. The singer returned to Portugal in 1989, and until recently performed every week at Restaurante da Nini, in Lisbon.
Singer Paula Ribas, known as the "twist queen" in the 1960s
