Joo Gilberto, a Brazilian guitarist, singer, and composer who was born on June 10 and died on July 6, 2019, is recognized for his role in the development of bossa nova in the late 1950s.
Although he was widely referred to as the “father of bossa nova” outside of his home Brazil, he went by the name “O Mito” (“The Legend”).
Gilberto’s initial recordings were released in Brazil as two-song, 78-rpm singles between 1951 and 1959. In the 1960s, the “double compact” format, which allowed four songs to fit on a 45 rpm record, became popular in Brazil.
Gilberto released a few EPs in this new style. In 1956, he returned to Rio and got in touch with some old pals, most notably Antônio Carlos Jobim.
What language does João Gilberto sing in?
Gilberto played his guitar softly and sang the Portuguese words of de Moraes. He establishes an airy, carefree tone that is later continued by Getz’s soaring tenor saxophone and an English stanza sung by Mr. Gilberto’s wife at the time, Astrud Gilberto.
The song achieved worldwide success. More than a million copies of the “Getz/Gilberto” album were sold, and it won multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
