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Google Doodle Celebrates Jovelina Pérola Negra's 78th Birthday In the 1980s, Jovelina Pérola Negra's deep, swinging voice and delicate improvisations changed Brazil's samba dance scene. Today's Doodle, painted by Rio de Janeiro-based guest artist La Minna, commemorates the 78th birthday of the singer-songwriter. Pérola Negra was born Jovelina Faria Belfort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in the Belford Roxo area singing and dancing samba. Jovelina Pérola Negra (meaning "black pearl" in Portuguese) was offered by a friend since it complemented her beautiful skin and fine voice. Pérola Negra worked as a housemaid and attended Império Serrano, a renowned samba school in Rio de Janeiro, until she was 40 years old. She sung at neighborhood samba gatherings known as pagodes in Rio de Janeiro's working-class neighborhoods on a regular basis. Pérola Negra gained the opportunity to record her debut album, Raca Brasileira, with other newly found performers wh...