Toninho Ferreira

Toninho Ferreira was born in 1942 in Arapiraca, Brazil. He came up singing with Trio Nordestino in the 1970s, working in the northeastern Brazilian tradition that artists like Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro had established.

In 1976 he put out a solo album called "Estou Bebendo Por Alguém." The title track became his signature song, a straightforward ballad about drinking over someone that caught on widely. It drew some criticism at the time for seeming to endorse heavy drinking, but it stuck around as one of those regional hits that people keep singing.

Ferreira kept recording through the decades. Songs like "Mãe," "Pode Viver a Sua Vida," and "Carro a Álcool" show him working in that same direct, melodic style. He sang about everyday things, family, love, cars, drinking, without much ornamentation.