Noberto Lima

Noberto Lima came out of Juazeiro do Norte in Brazil's northeast, a place shaped by the kind of fervent Catholicism that colored his early years. In the 1970s, he started recording, and his debut album 'O Amor de Deus' arrived in 1975.

That album included 'Jesus Cristo Brasa Viva,' a song that caught on quickly in churches and homes across Brazil. Its lyrics and melody connected with people in a plain, direct way, becoming something of a standard for personal devotion. Lima's voice had a sonorous quality that suited the material, and he followed it with other tracks like 'A Vitória Vem de Deus' and 'Hipócrita.'

Some in the conservative wings of the Brazilian Catholic Church initially resisted his music, but Lima kept going, believing in what he was doing. He didn't become a flashy star; his work stayed rooted in that northeastern devotional style, and songs like 'Agnus Day' and 'Face a Face' continued in a similar vein. The music found its audience without much fuss.