Nando Reis

Childhood

Nando Reis was born in São Paulo to Cecília Leonel and José Carlos Galvão Gomes dos Reis. He was given his prename "José" just like his brothers, José Carlos, the oldest of the children, and José Luiz (who is deaf), the younger. His two sisters also shared the same prenames: Maria Cecília, the older, and Maria Luiza, the youngest of the five, which developed cerebral palsy.

His mother was an acoustic guitar teacher and his father was an engineer. José Carlos taught him a little bit of Rock 'n' Roll, showing him Rolling Stones's album Between the Buttons. Maria Cecília taught him to play the acoustic guitar and took him to a show of Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil.

He was given his first acoustic guitar by his grandmother, at the age of 7, and was taught his first chords by his sister. However, most of his skills were acquired alone, when he learned songs of Caetano Veloso all by himself.

Some friends of José Carlos played in a rock band. Once, he took Nando to a small performance at the garage of the bassist house. Impressed with the solos of the guitarist, he asked him to teach him, but he never made it. He also tried the drums, but gave up. He decided then to play the bass guitar, as his attempts to play the electric guitar and the drums failed. Other artists, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper kept joining his main influences. At the age of eleven, he had classes of classic guitar and harmony with Alexandre ("Maranhão"), a friend of José Carlos. His first compositions were all based on poems. Most of them were long, showing his appreciation for long songs.

In 1978, he entered Equipe School. There, he formed a band called "Os Camarões" (The Shrimps) with some friends, and managed to win a local music festival. When he met Paulo Miklos and Arnaldo Antunes, who took part of the festival, he made the first compositions with what would later become Titãs. When the high school was over, he waited three years to pass the Mathematics vestibular. Even though Titãs where already planning their first show, the university occupied most of his time. Therefore, he decided to quit it.

Career with Titãs

In 1982, Titãs (at that time "Titãs do Iê-Iê") made their first live presentation. They recorded several tapes and sent them to recording labels until they signed up with Warner Music label. In 1984, Titãs released their first album, Titãs, and Nando played the bass guitar in some tracks although initially he was supposed to be a backing vocalist only. In the late 1980s, Titãs caught a plane to London, for their first international show. On June 19, 1989, his mother Cecília died of cancer.

In the early 1990s, he started producing his first albums, with artists like Marisa Monte and Cássia Eller. In 1995, he recorded his first solo album, 12 de Janeiro. In 2000, Titãs changed to Abril Music, and after recording As Dez Mais in Seattle, Nando released his second solo album, Para Quando o Arco-Íris Encontrar o Pote de Ouro, with some special participations like Cássia Eller, Rogério Fausino (from Jota Quest) and Peter Buck (from R.E.M.).

On June 13, 2001, Titãs' guitarist Marcelo Fromer died after being rammed by a motorcycle (see Marcelo Fromer's Death). On December 29, he lost another friend: Cássia Eller. In 2002, he released Infernal, his third solo work. He then decided to leave Titãs on September 9, 2002, partially due to the impact of both friends' deaths caused in his life, but mainly due to a "thought incompatibility". In a later interview, he said that he left the group also due to his will to give more attention to his solo works. He even proposed that the band stopped for one year after the album release. He also said that his isolation as a composer grew more evident in more recent albums, with more and more songs being composed just by him. Nowadays, Reis and Titãs are in good terms.

Still in 2002, he produced and guest performed in Eller's Acústico MTV album, which was later nominated for 2002 Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Rock Album; and won it.

Solo career

In 2003, he released his fourth album, A Letra A. He followed that up by releasing the successful Mtv-produced live album with his band Os Infernais (MTV Ao Vivo), and in early 2006, released another studio album, Sim e Não. This was followed by another Mtv-produced live album with Os Infernais (Lual MTV). His next studio album, entitled Drês includes several personal songs: "Conta", a tribute to his mother, and "Só Pra So", another tribute for his daughter Sophia, as well as "Pra Você", a duet with Ana Cañas. His cover version of "Eu Nasci Há Dez Mil Anos Atrás", a song by Raul Seixas, was featured in the Rede Globo's telenovela India – A Love Story soundtrack.

In 2011, "De Repente" (suddenly), a song co-written by him and Samuel Rosa, from Brazilian pop rock quartet Skank, was nominated for the 2011 Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Song and won.

Reis spent most of 2012 in Seattle recording his seventh solo album, Sei, released in October. This time, he worked with producer Jack Endino, who had already produced four studio albums for Titãs.

On October 6, 2012, Nando performed live with his ex-band Titãs for the first time since his departure, in a venue in São Paulo. The special performance was a celebration of the 30th year of the band's career. Arnaldo Antunes and Charles Gavin, other ex-members, were also present at the concert. It was the first time since 2002 that he used his bass guitar.

Nando performed at Sunset Stage of Rock in Rio 5 on September 15, 2013, along with Samuel Rosa, guitarist and vocalist of Skank, whose then upcoming album Velocia would feature some songs co-written by Reis.

In 2014, Reis received his third Latin Grammy Award nomination, this time for Best Brazilian Rock Album, for his live album Sei Como Foi em BH. Also in 2014, he announced he would enter the studio in 2015 to start recording a new album. In February 2016, it was revealed that the album would feature guest performances of Reis' ex-colleagues from Titãs Paulo Miklos, Branco Mello, Sérgio Britto and Arnaldo Antunes (the latter also an ex-member of the band), besides singers Pitty, Luiza Possi and Tulipa Ruiz. Afterwards, it was announced that Peter Buck (ex-R.E.M.) and Mike McCready (Pearl Jam, Mad Season), as well as four children of Reis (Zoé, Sophia, Theo and Sebastião; the two latter form the duo 2Reis), would be featured in the album as well.

In the same month, it was announced that the singer, together with the band Os Paralamas do Sucesso and singers Paula Toller and Pitty, would take part of a tour promoted by the project Nivea Viva!, which takes place every year and takes artists on Brazilian tours. The series of seven shows will pay tribute to Brazilian rock. Later in that year it was announced that Reis would guest sing in some songs by American supergroup Levee Walkers, formed by Mike McCready, Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver) and Barrett Martin (Mad Season/Screaming Trees) - the latter having worked with reis in some of his albums.

In November 2016, he is expected to release his new album Jardim-pomar. The cover will be drawn by artist Vânia Mignone. On 16 September of that year, he released the first single, "Só Posso Dizer".

Personal life

Nando Reis was married twice. The first marriage was with Vânia Passos, a former classmate, and the wedding took place on February 14, 1985. His four children are Theodoro Passos Reis, born on January 16, 1986, Sophia Passos Reis, born on July 1, 1988, Sebastião, born on May 13, 1995, and Zoe Passos Reis, born on September 27, 1999. In September 2003, he ended his marriage with Vânia, and married Anna some months later. In November 2005, he ended this second marriage. He dated Nina, and she gave him his fifth child, Ismael. Some years later, he started dating Vânia again. He also dated fellow musician and occasional partner Marisa Monte.

His daughter Sophia Reis was a VJ for MTV Brasil. She has also worked as actress and starred in the film Meu Tio Matou um Cara. Theodoro Reis is also an artist and performs in the band Zafenate.

Nando Reis is a self-declared atheist and bisexual. He supports São Paulo FC, having written a book about his passion for football entitled Meu Pequeno São-Paulino (My Little São Paulo Supporter).

Nando has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, which he had so far quit. He states that he has contemplated suicide twice: once via a lexotan overdose (which led him to the hospital), and another time by jumping.

One of Nando's cousins was Vange Leonel, who was famous for her work with the post-punk band Nau. Nando would produce her debut full-length solo album, Vange, in 1991.

Solo Albums

with Os Infernais

as a producer