- Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born June 26, 1942) is a Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter. Gil is also the current Minister of Culture of the country. Gil is best known for his late 1960s "tropicalismo" recordings, including "Roda", "Lunik 9", and "Domingo No Parque". Elis Regina has recorded many of the songs he wrote. He began his career as a "bossa nova" musician, … - Carlinhos Brown
Carlinhos Brown (b. November 23, 1962) is a Brazilian musician from Salvador, Bahia. Antonio Carlos Santos de Freitas was born in Candeal Pequeno, a small neighbourhood in the Brotas area of Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). In 1967 he was still a child when Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil (two 25 year old Bahians) started a movement that would radically change Brazilian music: Tropicalism. - Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento is a singer-songwriter who is considered one of the icons of Brazilian Music. Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento. When he was just a few months old, the boy was adopted by the family for whom his mother had previously worked: the couple Josino Brito Campos (a banker, mathematics teacher and electronic technician) and Lília Silva Campos (a music teacher). - Mestre Bimba
Mestre Bimba (born Manuel dos Reis Machado November 23, 1900, Salvador, Brazil - February 15, 1974) was a "mestre" (a master practitioner) of the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeira. The son of Luiz Cândido Machado and Maria Martinha do Bonfim, Manuel he was born at the "bairro do Engenho Velho", Salvador. - Pixinguinha
Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho (1897-1973), better known as Pixinguinha, was a "choro" composer, arranger, flutist and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro. Through the legacy of the pioneering "choro" composers of the 19th century and of the Afro-Brazilian tradition, Pixinguinha produced the most important "choro" works of all time. Edifying the "choro" as a musical genre, he conferred on it personality and identity. - Dorival Caymmi
Dorival Caymmi is considered to be one to the most important songwriters in Brazilian popular music. The son of an Italian immigrant and a black Bahian woman, he has a distinctive style of his own and is the writer of many classic songs. The sambas, such as "O Samba Da Minha Terra", have become standards of "Música Popular Brasileira." He also wrote ballads celebrating the fearless fishermen of Bahia, … - Zumbi
Zumbi also known as Zumbi dos Palmares (1655 - November 20, 1695, pronounced: 'zoombee') was the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil. A "quilombo" was a refuge of runaway slaves. Quilombo dos Palmares was a self-sustaining republic of Maroons escaped from the Portuguese settlements in Brazil, "a region perhaps the size of Portugal in the hinterland of Bahia" (Braudel 1984 p 390). - Benedita da Silva
Benedita Souza da Silva Sampaio, (born in Rio de Janeiro, April 26, 1942-) is an Afro-Brazilian politician. During her life she faced a lot of prejudice for her humble origin, but she overcame the adversities and was Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro and, later, Minister of State in the Government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. - Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician, composer, and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. His fans consider him a renewer of Brazilian samba-style pop. He credits his influences as the samba school Estação Primeira de Mangueira, composers Nelson Cavaquinho and Zeca Pagodinho, along with footballer Romário and American soul singer Stevie Wonder. - Noel Rosa
Noel de Medeiros Rosa (December 11, 1910 - May 4, 1937) was a Brazilian songwriter, singer, and guitar/banjo player. One of the greatest names in Brazilian popular music, Noel gave a new twist to samba, combining its Afro-Brazilian roots with a more urban, witty language and making it a vehicle for ironic social commentary. Noel Rosa was born in Rio de Janeiro into a middle-class family of the Vila Isabel neighbourhood. - Mestre Pastinha
Mestre Pastinha (born Vicente Ferreira Pastinha April 5 1889, Salvador, Brazil - November 13 1981) was a "mestre" (a master practitioner) of the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeira. The son of José Señor Pastinha and Eugênia Maria de Carvalho, he was exposed to Capoeira at the age of 8 by an African named Benedito. The story goes that an older and stronger boy from Pastinha's neighborhood would often bully and beat him up. - Adriana Lima
Adriana Francesca Lima (born June 12 1981) is a Brazilian supermodel. She was dubbed as "The World's Most Voluptuous Virgin" by US "GQ" magazine. She is best known for her modeling work with Victoria's Secret and Maybelline. According to Forbes, Lima is currently the fourth highest paid top model. - Elza Soares
Elza Soares is a Brazilian samba singer. She was married to Brazilian football player Garrincha. Born and raised in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Soares took part in a singing contest presented by the renowned Brazilian musician Ary Barroso, and received the highest marks. In the late 1950s, Soares spent one year touring Argentina with Mercedes Batista. Soares became popular with her first single "Se Acaso Você Chegasse", … - Zeca Pagodinho
Zeca Pagodinho is a brazilian singer/songwriter working in the genres of samba and pagode. - Tim Maia
The father of Brazilian soul music, Tim Maia, (September 28, 1942 - March 15, 1998), born Sebastião Rodrigues Maia in Rio de Janeiro, never hid his true nature from his fans, his prospective employers, or the law. Iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, polemical (but always humorous), and once addicted to marijuana, he was known for lightheartedly missing appointments and even big-time gigs. - Virginia Rodrigues
Virginia Rodrigues is a Brazilian singer. She grew up singing in church choirs in her native Salvador, Bahia. Caetano Veloso has been involved with her recording career since the beginning, having first heard her sing at a rehearsal of the Olodum Theatrical Group. - Aleijadinho
Aleijadinho was a Brazilian-born sculptor and architect, noted for his works on and in various churches of Brazil. - Jorge ben Jor
Jorge Ben Jor is a Brazilian popular musician, born in Rio de Janeiro on March 22, 1942 (some sources say 1940). His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humor and satire with often esoteric subject matter. - Chico César
Chico César is a Brazilian popular musician. - Nei Lopes
Nei Lopes (born May 9, 1942, birth name Nei Braz Lopes) is a singer, composer, lawyer, writer and historian, working primarily with the Brazilian genre of samba and African-Brazilian studies. - Lima Barreto
Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto was a Brazilian author, who wrote one of the country's classics, "Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma" or "Tragic death of...", describing the adventures of a music- and book-loving odd-ball confronted with Brazil's peculiarities at the turn of the century. - Moreno Veloso
Moreno Veloso is a Brazilian musician and singer born on November 22, 1972 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He is one of the sons of the Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and his first wife Andréa Gadelha (Dedé) Veloso. Brazilian singer Gal Costa, another pillar of Brazilian popular music, is Moreno Veloso's godmother. Additionally, many of the greats of the Brazilian music scene visited the Veloso household frequently and, therefore, … - Ganga Zumba
Ganga Zumba was the first of the leaders of Quilombo dos Palmares, or Angola Janga in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil. Zumba was a slave who escaped bondage on a sugar plantation and assumes his destiny as heir to the kingdom of Palmares and the title Ganga Zumba. Although some Portuguese documents give him the name Ganga Zumba, and this name is widely used today, … - Wilson Moreira
Wilson Moreira (b. December 12, 1936) is a brazilian "sambista", singer/songwriter, especially known for his exquisite and intricate melody lines. - Mestre João Pequeno
João Pereira dos Santos or Mestre João Pequeno da Pastinha as he is known within capoeira circles, began his life in Capoeira as a student of Mestre Gilvenson (C. Daniel Dawson's book "Capoeira Angola and Mestre João Grande" cites Mestre Barbosa as João Pequeno's first teacher, "see Mestre João Grande") and later became a disciple of Mestre Pastinha - the father of contemporary Capoeira Angola. - Madame Satã
João Francisco dos Santos, also known as the infamous drag performer and capoeirista "Madame Satã", was born into a family of ex-slaves in the state of Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil. Having been accused with conspiracy of murder, spending 27 years in prison, being a former gangster and father of 7, he found refuge in the dark Bohemian culture of Rio de Janeiro amidst a lively world of pimps, prostitutes, deviants and samba composers. - Djavan
Djavan, a Brazilian singer/songwriter, was born 27 January 1949, in Alagoas, Brazil. Djavan's combines traditional South American rhythms with popular music drawn from America, Europe and Africa. He can aptly categorized in the following musicial genres: Música Popular Brasileira, Samba, Brazilian pop and Latin dance. - Dj Marky
Marco Antonio Silva a.k.a. DJ Marky is a Brazilian drum and bass DJ. Together with DJ Patife, XRS Land and Drumagick Brazilians are forging a new sound in drum and bass that has become popular around the world with releases such as 'LK' and 'So Tinha Que Ser Com Voce'. Regarded as a drum’n’bass innovator under the name Marky Mark and then just DJ Marky, he was brought to the attention of the global Drum and Bass scene by English DJ Bryan Gee, … - Grande Otelo
Grande Otelo is the stage name of Brazilian actor, comedian, singer, and composer Sebastião Bernardes de Souza Prata. Otelo had a problematic life, became orphan when he still was a child and kept running away from the families that adopted him, it was only when he entered in the artistic way that his life began to be more bright. Grande Otelo started his film career in 1935 in the movie "Noites Cariocas". - Olga de Alaketu
Olga de Alaketu or Mother Olga was a prominent Candomblé high priestess, who was influential in promoting Candomblé and distancing it from Catholicism. A fifth generation descendant of the royal house of Aro in modern Benin; Alaketu served as high priestess of the Ile Maroia Laji temple in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, one of the oldest Candomblé temples in Brazil. Her temple attracted many prominent people including the writer Jorge Amado, … - Almir Guineto
Almir Guineto (b. July 12 1946, birth name Almir de Souza Serra) is a Brazilian "sambista", singer/songwriter and instrumentalist, working in the genres of samba and pagode. - Carlos Lacerda
Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda, an Afro-Brazilian who was the head of Vargas' personal bodyguards. Brazilian Air Force Major Rubens Vaz was killed in the attempt and Lacerda was slightly injured. This sparked a political crisis that culminated with the suicide of Vargas. Lacerda was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies later in 1954 with the most votes of any candidate. He also opposed the government of President Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira. - Jorge Aragão
Jorge Aragão is a brazilian musician, singer/songwriter working in the genres of samba and pagode. Jorge is a multi instrumentalist, playing the guitar, surdo, cavaquinho and banjo, among other instruments. In shows, he usually plays the cavaquinho most of the time, and sometimes the banjo. - Lázaro Ramos
Lázaro Ramos, born Luiz Lázaro Sacramento Ramos, (b. November 1, 1978 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) is a Brazilian actor. He started his acting career with the Flock of Olodum Theater group, in Salvador, and is best known for his portrayal of João Francisco dos Santos in the 2003 film Madame Satã. Lázaro is married to Brazilian actress Taís Araújo. - Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian football (soccer) player. He has played most of his club football for the English club Arsenal, as a defensive midfielder. Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good form earned him a move to Atlético Mineiro in 2000. - Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Brazil and the Italian Serie A club AC Milan. He has been nicknamed "The Phenomenon". Pelé named him one of the 125 greatest footballers in March 2004. Ronaldo has enjoyed success at the international level, winning the 1994 and 2002 FIFA World Cups with Brazil. Ronaldo has won three FIFA World Player of the Year awards (1996, 1997, 2002). - Chico Rei
Chico Rei is a semi-mythic heroic figure from the slave trade in Brazil. In about 1740, Galanga, a tribal leader from the Congo, was taken along with a large part of his tribe and sold as a slave. They were brought from Africa to Brazil in a slave ship and during this journey his authority amongst his compatriots was noticed by the Portuguese slave traders who nicknamed him "Chico Rei". In Brazil he was set to work in the gold mines of Minas Gerais. - Douglas Silva
Douglas Silva,(born 1989 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Afro Brazilian Emmy-nominated actor whose most famous role is that of "Dadinho" ("Li'l Dice") in the 2002 Brazilian film, "City of God". He also played Acerola in the spin-off series "City of Men". - Mestre Amen Santo
Mestre Amen Santo is an Afro-Brazilian mestre (master) of the acrobatic martial art of capoeira. He has acted in roles practicing his art in two Hollywood movies, "Only The Strong" and "Kickboxer 4", and created much of the former's fight choreography. He was born in Bahia, Brazil, and as a teenager, took to capoeira as a means of escaping the poverty and violent crime present in his neighborhood. - Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assís Moreira is a Brazilian footballer, also known as Ronaldinho "Gaúcho" (due to him being from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil), or simply and most commonly Ronaldinho. He became a naturalized Spanish citizen in January 2007. Ronaldinho, meaning "little Ronaldo", is better known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho "Gaúcho", in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo (already called Ronaldinho in Brazil).
|
| |