A Bahian singer whose direct lyrics about heartbreak and hardship connected deeply, even when they ruffled feathers.
For a quick sense of him, put on 'Meu Ponto Fraco' and 'O Último Ato do Coração'. That's the voice, direct and unvarnished.
His 1971 debut album's title track 'Meu Ponto Fraco' became a major hit because its raw emotion about heartbreak and hardship just clicked with people. He kept that style going in songs like 'Vivendo De Solidão' and 'O Último Ato do Coração', writing plainly about what he saw and felt. The music blended samba with soul and funk, and he worked with names like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, but it was always grounded in that neighborhood perspective from Salvador.
He formed his first band, Os Cariocas do Samba, in 1965 playing local dance halls in Santo Amaro. After his 1971 debut hit, he recorded more than twenty albums including 'Zé Filho ao Vivo' in 1973 and 'De Volta ao Samba' in 1978, performing through periods when his lyrics sometimes ran into trouble with authorities.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.