Caetano Veloso was born in Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia, Brazil, the fifth of seven children of José Teles Veloso and Claudionor Viana Teles Veloso. His childhood was influenced greatly by artistic endeavors. He was interested in both literature and filmmaking as a child but focused mainly on music. The musical style of bossa nova and João Gilberto, one of its most prominent exponents, were major influences on Veloso’s music as he grew up.
Veloso was 17 years old when he first heard Gilberto, whom he describes as his “supreme master”. He recognizes Gilberto’s contribution to Brazilian music as a new ”illuminating” the tradition of Brazilian music and paving the way for future innovation. Veloso moved to the Bahian port city of Salvador as a teenager, the city in which Gilberto lived, and a center of Afro-Brazilian culture and music.
When was Caetano Veloso exiled?
Veloso and musician Gilberto Gil were both detained in 1969 because the military government in Brazil saw their political and musical activism as a danger. Eventually, the two were forced to leave Brazil and moved to London, where they spent the next two years.
Tropicalismo included theatre, poetry, and music. Since then, he has continued to have a strong creative influence and be a best-selling performer and composer. Nine Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards have each been won by Veloso. Veloso received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award on November 14, 2012.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
