Gilberto Gil

Gil was inspired by music at a young age and grew up listening to local forró music in his hometown. Later Gil began learning the drums and trumpet, and at age ten his mother bought an accordion for him and sent him to a music school in Salvador. While learning how to play the accordion, Gil became very interested in the work of the Brazilian accordionist Luiz Gonzaga. Gil was also influenced by the musician Dorival Caymmi, whose sound influenced Gil’s samba style. By high school Gil was playing accordion and vibraphone in a band called Os Desafinados. After the group disbanded two years after their formation Gil would finally settle on the guitar as his main instrument and start performing bossa nova music.

While attending university, Gil met the Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso, who he would collaborate with on albums as well as live performances. In 1965 Gil gained recognition when he released his first hit single “Louvação”, which was later released on his 1967 debut album of the same name. In 1968 Gil released a self-titled album as well as a compilation album titled “Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis”. The compilation album consisted of many notable artists including Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Os Mutantes, and Gal Costa. This compilation album was a very significant landmark in the history of Brazilian music and was considered a formative album of the Tropicália genre. The album was highly inspired by The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and contained sounds of the popular and the avant-garde.

Due to Gil’s innovative music, which the Brazilian government considered politically dangerous, he was forced to relocate to London, UK in 1969. While in London he was exposed to a variety of music ranging from reggae to British rock. He was strongly engaged in the London rock scene and would perform with acts such as Yes, Pink Floyd, and the Incredible String Band.

In 1972 Gil would move back to Brazil and would release a consistent amount of albums throughout the ‘70s. The same year he moved back to Brazil he released the album “Expresso 2222” and went on a tour of the United States. Gil also released several collaboration albums in the ‘70s that have been recognized by “Rolling Stone” as some of the best Brazilian albums in history. One of those albums was the 1975 album titled “Gil e Jorge”, which showed Gil collaborating with the Brazilian pop artist Jorge Ben. In 1976 Gil Collaborated with Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania, and Gal Costa on the album “Doces Bárbaros”, which was also the subject of a documentary. Gil also became interested in the Afro-Brazilian afoxe music and joined the Filhos de Gandhi performance group. He moved to Africa in the late ‘70s and collaborated with Jimmy Cliff to record a cover of the song “No Woman, No Cry”. This cover was very influential in introducing reggae music to Brazil.

Gil has been looked at as one of the most influential Brazilian musicians of all time and has many awards to prove it. His 1998 album “Quanta” won a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album and his 2005 album “Eletracustico” won him a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. He has also been awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Government and the Polar Music Prize by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.