With the hope of becoming a stage actor, Ney moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1966, where he lived as a hippie and made ends meet by selling arts and crafts.

In 1971, he moved to São Paulo, adopting the artistic name Ney Matogrosso, and joined the glam rock group Secos & Molhados,[2] which in less than 18 months became a phenomenon, selling 1 million records.

"[3] After the group Secos e Molhados split up, Ney pursued a successful solo career in Brazil and abroad, obtaining several Gold and Platinum records.

As traditional insistence of premarital virginity and normative heterosexuality became regarded as antiquated and repressive, Brazil's biggest stars projected unabashed sexuality and were rumored to have homosexual affairs.

Singers such as Caetano Veloso and Ney Matogrosso presented themselves as androgynous, gender-bending performers and raised important questions in society about gender roles and identities.

In 1978, Ney clarified his homosexuality in a magazine interview, and, in the face of widespread homophobia, he remained one of Brazil's most famous celebrities"[4] In the 1970s he released a series of essential albums, both for his career and Brazilian popular music.

In the 1980s, Ney recorded "Por Debaixo dos Panos" (Ceceu), "Tanto Amar" (Chico Buarque), "Ando Meio Desligado" (Mutantes), "Sangue Latino" (João Ricardo/ Paulo Mendonça) and "Vereda Tropical" (Gonzalo Curiel).

Since then, he has focused on his work as a singer, recording from the traditional repertoire of MPB (Música popular brasileira – the so-called Brazilian pop music genre).

Recordings in this genre first appeared on the album "O Pescador de Pérolas" (1986), which featured "O Mundo É um Moinho" (Cartola), "Dora" (Dorival Caymmi), "Da Cor do Pecado" (Bororó) and "Aquarela do Brasil" (Ary Barroso).

The band and set list for his 1983 performance at the Casino was as follows: Ney Matogrosso, 9 July 1983, Casino Montreux Ney Matogrosso (voc), Ray Don (tp), Sergio Bore (perc), Pisca (g), Nono (tp), Jose Francisco De Lima (tb), Lino (s, fl), Otavio Bangla (s), Magrao (fl), Jacare (kbds), Paulinho Esteves (kbds), Pedrao (b), Sergio Della Monica (dr), Dom Chacal (perc) 1 Metamorfose Ambulante 2 Noticias Do Brasil 3 Uai Uai 4 Primeiro De Abril 5 Nao Faz Sentido 6 Deixar Voce 7 Tanto Amar 8 Instrumental 9 Andar Com Fe 10 Rosa De Hiroshima 11 Napoleao 12 Jonhy Pirou 13 Alegria Carnaval 14 Homem Com H 15 Folia No Matagal[6] Ney was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine Brazil in December 2013.

The Academy stated that "Ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the three greatest Brazilian singers of all time, Ney Matogrosso has recorded nearly 50 albums over a career that spans more than four decades.

However, the union was short-lived and Matogrosso embarked on a solo career, garnering extraordinary success with hit singles such as "Homem Com H" and "Bandido Corazón."

Leaving his androgynous glam-rock persona behind, in 1986, Matogrosso began working with emerging composers Cazuza and Victor Ramil and revisited the traditional roots of Música Popular Brasileira.