Robson Venâncio

Robson Venâncio came up in the Marquês de Sapucaí neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, where he soaked up the local samba and pagode sounds. In the late 1990s, he put out an album called 'Marquês Que É Marquês,' and its title track became his calling card. That song, 'Marquês Que É Marquês do Sassarico É Freguês,' caught on with its humor and bounce, turning into something of a national singalong.

He worked with a band called Sassarico, which included Vinícius Silva on guitar, Alessandro Calazans on drums, Alexandre Santana on bass, and Rafael Miranda on percussion. Over the next several years, Venâncio kept releasing records like 'Eu Não Pago o Mês,' 'Boteco do Venâncio,' 'Agora É Que São Elas,' and 'O Rei do Pagode.'

Some critics dismissed his music as too crude or simple, but it clearly connected with plenty of listeners. The songs were straightforward, funny, and built for dancing, which was enough to make him a familiar voice in Brazilian pagode for a while.