According to "Revista Veja" (Brazil's largest weekly news magazine): "Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira was born twice. The first time, in 1949, in a lower-class Salvador area, in Bahia. The second time was last February 7 at the 'Morumbi Stadium', in São Paulo, when she raised a vibrant chorus of 90,000 at the 'Canta Brasil' spectacle, singing 'Caminhando'. When her presentation ended, she was another shining star in the sky." She recorded her career's first golden disc and an eponymous program for "Rede Globo", recorded live at the 'Globo Theater' (March 1980). The program, "Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira", was the first of a series called "Grandes Nomes." Also in 1979, she was present at the "Festival de Música Popular Brasileira", interpreting "Para Lennon & McCartney" (by Márcio and Lô Borges and Fernando Brant). In 1982, the same magazine would declare Simone to be the largest album seller of the decade on the cover, with seven pages of coverage.