Samuel Reis de Oliveira (March 11, 1973 – March 2, 1996), better known as Samuel Reoli, was a Brazilian musician.[1] He was the bassist of the satirical rock band Mamonas Assassinas, and also the brother of Sérgio Reoli, who was the drummer of the same band. The nickname "Reoli" originates from the inicial syllables of the surnames of both brothers, Reis and Oliveira.[2]
At the end of the 1980s, he formed the band Ponte Aérea with his brother Sérgio Reoli and Bento Hinoto. This band later evolved into Utopia and, eventually, became known as Mamonas Assassinas.[3]
Since his childhood, Samuel enjoyed to draw aircrafts.[4]
Life and career
Early life
Samuel was born in São Paulo in 1973, making him the only member of Mamonas Assassinas who was actually born in the city.[1] He was the third son of Francisco José de Oliveira, being the youngest brother of the drummer Sérgio Reoli, with whom he played alongside Dinho, Júlio and Bento in the band.[5]
The 1980s: Early music career and the beginning at the band Utopia
Initially, Samuel didn't enjoyed music much, he was more interested in drawing. Meanwhile, his brother Sérgio was forming the band Ponte Aérea. When Samuel was 14, he worked at the office of a radiator manufacturing company called Colméia, and later he worked at the German company Degussa. Then, in June 1989, after his brother met the guitarist Alberto, who later became known as Bento Hinoto, Samuel became interested in learning how to play bass and joined the band Utopia.
On December 11, 1994, Samuel Reoli and his bandmates had a performance scheduled in the city of São Benedito. At the time, the brothers were grieving the loss of their grandfather, who had recently passed away, so they considered not doing the show. However, they decided to proceed after being motivated by their grandmother.[6] In 1995, the band Utopia became Mamonas Assassinas after a change in their artistic identity. The band now consisted of vocalist Dinho, guitarist Bento Hinoto, the Reoli brothers, and keyboardist Júlio Rasec.[6]
A fun fact is that Samuel was responsible for suggesting the new name of the band, which originally was called "Mamonas Assassinas do Espaço" ("Killer Castor Beans from Outer Space", in a free translation). However, the name was too long, so they shortened it to "Mamonas Assassinas".
Death
On March 2, 1996, Samuel and his bandmates left Brasilia at 9:58 p.m., where they had performed earlier that day. They were flying in a Learjet 25D PT-LSD aircraft towards the city of Guarulhos.[7] When they were near the destination of the flight, due to difficulties related to the landing site, the pilots contacted the control tower and decided to perform a go-around maneuver, followed by a left turn, which caused them to miss the correct direction to the airport.[8]
Subsequently, at around 11:16 p.m. that day, the aircraft collided with the mountain ranges of Serra da Cantareira, north of São Paulo, killing everyone on board, including the bassist.[9]
A few days before the accident, Samuel wrote a letter to his family expressing gratitude for everything that he experienced throughout his life. The letter was only found months after the accident by the bassist's father, who was heartened by the discovery.[4]