Died On This Date (January 22, 1993) Noel “Helno” Rota / Les Negresses Vertes
themusicsover Helno (Born Noel Rota)
December 25, 1963 – January 22, 1993
Helno was the lead singer of French alternative world rock band, Les Negresses Vertes. Formed in 1987, the group members had never played their instruments prior to starting the band. But their skills and style soon evolved into an exciting mix of gypsy, punk, Mediterranean and South American, often augmented with the use of traditional instruments. By the early 90s the band was expanding their audience thanks in part to their dymanic performances at Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival. Meanwhile, Helno was struggling with a heroin addiction, finally losing his life to an overdose at his parents’ house on January 22, 1993.
What You Should Own
Lhasa de Sela was an acclaimed Mexican American folk singer songwriter who although born in New York and raised in Mexico, spent most of her adult life split between Canada and France. That multi-National background mixed beautifully throughout her music. De Sela released her first album, La Llorona, in 1997, and though sung completely in Spanish, it incorporated elements of South American, Mexican, Eastern European gypsy and alternative rock. Embraced by fans and critics alike, the album won her a Best Global Artist Juno award in 1998. That album was followed by The Living Road in 2003 and Lhasa in 2009. Her albums have sold in excess of 1 million copies combined. In 2005, the BBC World Music Awards named her the Best Artist of the Americas. Lhasa de Sela died of breast cancer on January 1, 2010.
Antonio Luis Alves de Souza was respected Brazilian drummer who, with his group, Olodum played a unique blend of Oludum percussion and reggae which they called samba reggae. In 1990, de Souza was invited by Paul Simon to play on his Rhythm of the Saints album and in 1991, to perform with him at his huge Central Park concert. In lieu of payment, de Souza asked Simon to give him money to purchase an old building that eventually housed an educational program for local adults and children. In 1996, de Souza performed in