Question 1

True or false: Astrud Gilberto was primarily a jazz trumpeter before she started singing.

Accepted Answer

False. She never played trumpet. She was a self-taught singer with no formal musical training, and her instrument was always her voice.

Question 2

True or false: Astrud Gilberto co-wrote the English lyrics for 'The Girl from Ipanema'.

Accepted Answer

False. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel, not Astrud. She simply performed them in the famous 1964 recording.

Question 3

True or false: Astrud Gilberto was married to João Gilberto when she recorded 'The Girl from Ipanema'.

Accepted Answer

True. She was João's wife at the time, and he was the original guitarist on the track; they later divorced in the mid-1960s.

Question 4

True or false: Astrud Gilberto was born in Brazil and moved to the US in her twenties.

Accepted Answer

False. She was actually born in the Brazilian state of Bahia, but moved to the US as a young child, not in her twenties.

Question 5

True or false: Astrud Gilberto retired from music in the 1970s and never performed again.

Accepted Answer

False. She continued performing and recording into the 2000s, releasing albums like 'Jungle' (2002) and touring internationally.

Question 6

True or false: Astrud Gilberto had no professional singing experience before recording 'The Girl from Ipanema'.

Accepted Answer

True. She was a housewife who sang casually at home; producer Creed Taylor asked her to fill in for the English verse on the spur of the moment.

Question 7

True or false: Astrud Gilberto never won a Grammy Award for her work.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite her iconic role, 'The Girl from Ipanema' won Record of the Year for Stan Getz, not for her individually, and she never won a solo Grammy.

Question 8

True or false: Astrud Gilberto recorded a song that was played on the Apollo 10 moon mission.

Accepted Answer

True. Her song 'Berimbau' was included on the Apollo 10 playlist in 1969, making her one of the few artists heard in lunar orbit.

Astrud Gilberto Trivia Questions