Brazilian guitarist, singer, and composer Joo Gilberto is credited with creating bossa nova in the late 1950s.
He was frequently referred to as the “father of bossa nova” throughout the world, but in his native Brazil, he was known as “O Mito” (literally, “The Legend”).
João Gilberto parents: Meet Martinha do Prado Pereira de Oliveira, Juveniano Domingos de Oliveira
The son of rich businessman Joviniano Domingos de Oliveira and Martinha do Prado Pereira de Oliveira, Joo Gilberto was born in Juazeiro, Bahia.
He remained in his hometown until 1942, when he moved to Aracaju, Sergipe, to start his studies. He came back to Juazeiro in 1946.
Gilberto’s father objected, but at the age of 14, his grandfather gave him his first guitar. Nevertheless, he started his first band, Enamorados do Ritmo, in Juazeiro. In 1947, Gilberto relocated to Salvador, Bahia.
He abandoned his studies during his three years in the city in order to focus solely on music, and at the age of 18 he started his musical career as a crooner at the Rádio Sociedade da Bahia.
