Astrud Gilberto (born March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer who is probably best known for singing “The Girl from Ipanema”, accompanied by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist (and her then-husband) João Gilberto. The opening track on Getz/Gilberto (the album credited with popularizing bossa nova music worldwide) and an international hit single (peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart), “The Girl from Ipanema” is believed to be the second most recorded pop song in history (behind only “Yesterday” by The Beatles).

Astrud Gilberto celebrated her 81st birthday today. Other luminaries who presumably celebrated another trip around the sun on March 29 include: Amy Sedaris, Billy Beane, Brendan Gleeson, Bud Cort, Christopher Lambert, Elle Macpherson, Eric Idle, exexalien, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Irene, Kim Batten, Lucy Lawless, Marina Sirtis, Maxim Lapierre, Michael Winterbottom, Miguel Gómez, Perry Farrell, Rex Banner, Shinichi Mochizuki, Terry Jacks, and Vangelis, as well as Mark’s little brother Michael, Edna in Haiti, a boy named Tsubasa, a girl named Yumeno, and Testicles of Doom, Jr. Feel free to let us know if there’s anyone we left out!

ETA: To learn more about Astrud Gilberto, here’s a brand new article just in time for her birthday, which does a great job explaining why she deserves to be remembered for more than “The Girl from Ipanema”: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/astrud-gilberto-singer-life-legacy/

Have a Great Night Thread, Avocado!