Dick Farney

Dick Farney

Farnésio Dutra e Silva (14 November 1921 - 4 August 1987), better known as Dick Farney, was a Brazilian (jazz) pianist, pop-composer, and "crooner" popular in Brazil from the late 1940s to the mid 1970s and 1980s. He began playing piano as a child as his father taught him classical music and his mother taught him how to sing. In 1937, he debuted as a singer on the show "Hora Juvenil" of Radio Cruzeiro do Sul in Rio de Janeiro, performing the song Deep Purple composed by David Rose. Dick was taken by César Ladeira to Radio Mayrink Veiga to host the program "Dick Farney, the Voice and Piano". He then formed the group "Os Swing Maniacos" alongside his brother Cyll Farney on drums. The band accompanied Edu da Gaita for the recording of "Indian Song" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. From 1941 to 1944, he was a crooner with the orchestra of Carlos Machado at the Casino da Urca when gambling was still allowed in Brazil. In 1946 he was invited to the United States after meeting the arranger Bill Hitchcock and pianist Eddy Duchin at the Copacabana Palace Hotel. In 1947 and 1948 he appeared on many radio shows of NBC, particularly as a regular singer at Milton Berle Show. In 1948 he performed at Vogue, a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro. In 1959 he had his own TV program, the Dick Farney Show, which was aired by TV Record - Channel 7 in São Paulo. In 1960 he formed the band Dick Farney and His Orchestra and played at many events. In 1965 he had the Dick and Betty Show on the newly created TV Globo - Channel 4, Rio de Janeiro, presented by himself and Betty Faria. He was the owner of the nightclubs "Farney's" and "Farney's Inn", both in São Paulo. He also formed a trio with Sabá in 1971. From 1973 to 1978, he played piano and sang at the nightclub "Chez Régine" in Rio.

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