Rita Lee was born in So Paulo, Brazil, to Romilda Padula, a Brazilian pianist, and Charles Fenley Jones, an American-Brazilian dentist who is descended from Confederate soldiers.
When Lee and two other friends first met the brothers Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias Baptista, they started a band and Lee’s vocal prowess helped them support artists like Tony Campelo, Jet Blacks, Demetrius, and Prini Lopez.
They recorded the single “O Suicida,” which was never published, under the moniker O’Seis (a play on “the six” and the caipira method of saying “you all” in Brazil). Only three of the band members remained after the others had all gone to college.
Roberto de Carvalho: Who Is Rita Lee’s Husband?
She met musician Roberto de Carvalho through MPB singer Ney Matogrosso in 1976. They were married and had three kids together, Beto Lee, Joao Lee, and Antônio. Since then, she has been married to Carvalho and calls him her “boyfriend”.