Paulo Gualberto

Paulo Gualberto grew up in Madureira, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. He learned to play cavaquinho and guitar early on, and by the mid-1960s he was performing in local bars. In 1965, he met Nelson Cavaquinho, who became a mentor to him.

His music found a wider audience in the 1970s. Songs like 'Escravo da Saudade' connected with listeners across Brazil. He worked with other artists from that scene, including João Nogueira and Dona Ivone Lara.

His wife Tereza died in a car accident, and that loss shaped much of his later writing. The songs from that period are often remembered for their direct, personal tone.