Nando D'Porto

Nando D'Porto formed his band in 1988 with a group of musicians including Beto Machado on drums, Marcelo Silveira on bass, and Ricardo Matsuda on keyboards. They put out albums like 1990's "A Noite," 1992's "Coração Cigano," 1994's "Coisa do Destino," and 1998's "Dose Dupla." Some of his songs that people know include "Paixão Maldita," "Meu Pai," and "Coração Machucado."

His music tended to work with themes of love and loss, which sometimes drew criticism for being too dark. But it found an audience anyway, with "A Noite" becoming particularly well-known. He was from Porto Alegre and his early writing was influenced by samba and bossa nova.