Osvaldinho da Cuíca

Osvaldo Alves Pereira was born in 1946 in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, and picked up the nickname Osvaldinho early on. He started playing the cuíca, that distinctive friction drum, when he was about five years old. As a teenager, he moved to São Paulo and got into the city's samba scene, playing in local clubs.

In 1973, he released his first album, 'Samba Pras Moças.' It included 'Saudade da Garoa,' a song about the city's drizzly weather that became widely popular. Other songs like 'Barra Funda' and 'Cantiga de Zambi' also became part of his repertoire.

Over time, his music began to incorporate other styles beyond traditional samba. He worked with artists like Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso. Some listeners in the 1990s questioned his more experimental directions, but he kept playing the cuíca his own way.