Paulinho da Viola, Ze Keti, Elton Medeiros, Nelson Sargento

Biography

Paulinho da Viola, born Paulo César Batista de Faria on 12 November 1942 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one of the central figures of modern samba and choro. Raised in a middle-class family deeply involved with choro, he was the son of guitarist César Faria, a founding member of the choro group Época de Ouro, and grew up watching legendary musicians such as Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim rehearse at his home, quietly absorbing their repertoire and technique. As a teenager he frequented jam sessions at Jacob do Bandolim’s house and began writing his own songs, but initially worked as a bank teller before fully committing to a professional music career.

His turning point came in 1964 when he met poet and producer Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, with whom he started composing; their first song, “Duvide-o-dó,” was recorded by Isaurinha Garcia, and soon Paulinho was performing at Zicartola, the influential Rio club run by samba legend Cartola and his wife. In 1965 he joined the group A Voz do Morro alongside Zé Keti and others, where, at the suggestion of Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral, he adopted the stage name Paulinho da Viola. Through the late 1960s and 1970s he released a series of acclaimed albums, including “Foi um Rio que Passou em Minha Vida” (1970), featuring the now-classic title track, and “Dança da Solidão” (1972), helping to revitalize traditional samba while engaging with the emerging MPB scene. Closely linked to Portela samba school and the Velha Guarda da Portela, he used his growing fame to advocate for older sambistas and the community roots of the genre, even producing the first Velha Guarda da Portela album in 1970.

Musically, Paulinho da Viola is known for his refined harmonies, gentle voice and strict allegiance to acoustic, roots-oriented samba and choro, often described as a “samba purist” who bridges middle-class musical sophistication and the vitality of Rio’s suburban samba communities. After a particularly prolific 1970s, he slowed his recording pace in the mid-1980s to focus more on composition, later returning to wide acclaim with the 1996 album “Bebadosamba,” which reunited him with early partners Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and Elton Medeiros and reaffirmed his status in contemporary Brazilian music. Beyond his recordings, his political and aesthetic stance—defending samba as a communal, popular practice against increasing commodification of Carnival and the music industry—has cemented his legacy as both guardian and renovator of Brazilian samba tradition.

Fun Facts

• Paulinho originally worked as a bank teller in Rio de Janeiro and only considered a full-time music career after meeting poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho in 1964.
• His stage name “Paulinho da Viola” was invented because a record label publicist thought his real name, Paulo César, did not sound like a samba artist; Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral helped coin the new name.
• One of his earliest regular gigs was at Zicartola, the influential club owned by Cartola, where his ‘payment’ at first was mainly just the bus fare to get home and back for the next show.
• In the mid-1970s he publicly broke with the Portela samba school, criticizing what he saw as the growing commodification of samba and Carnival and defending the neglected veteran composers of the Velha Guarda da Portela.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• César Faria - Father, choro guitarist in Época de Ouro; early musical model whose rehearsals introduced Paulinho to professional musicianship and choro repertoire. (Informal influence through Época de Ouro rehearsals and home music-making rather than specific joint recordings.) [1940s–1960s (childhood and youth)]
• Pixinguinha - Choro pioneer who rehearsed at Paulinho’s home; key stylistic influence in melody, phrasing, and respect for traditional Brazilian instrumental music. (Indirect influence via Pixinguinha’s choro pieces often played in rehearsals Paulinho attended.) [1950s (as an admired elder during Paulinho’s youth)]
• Jacob do Bandolim - Leading choro mandolinist whose house jams Paulinho frequented as a teenager, shaping his sense of ensemble playing and composition. (Informal participation in Jacob’s rodas de choro; no major documented co-authored works, but strong stylistic impact.) [Late 1950s–early 1960s]
• Hermínio Bello de Carvalho - Poet, producer and early career guide who encouraged Paulinho to become a professional musician and co-wrote his first recorded songs. (“Duvide-o-dó” (recorded by Isaurinha Garcia) and numerous later collaborations, including songs on “Bebadosamba.”) [From 1964 onward]

Key Collaborators

• Zé Keti - Senior sambista and bandmate in A Voz do Morro; helped coin the stage name Paulinho da Viola and shared early recordings in the acoustic samba revival. (Group albums with A Voz do Morro and the landmark traditional samba LP featuring Jair do Cavaquinho, Elton Medeiros, Zé Keti and Paulinho da Viola trading vocals.) [Mid–late 1960s]
• Elton Medeiros - Frequent songwriting and recording partner; co-leader in key acoustic samba projects and later collaborator on Paulinho’s comeback work. (Albums such as “Samba na Madrugada” (1968) and collaborations on “Bebadosamba” (1996).*) [1960s–1990s]
• Velha Guarda da Portela - Collective of veteran Portela samba composers whom Paulinho championed, producing and endorsing their work as part of his defense of roots samba. (Production and artistic endorsement of the first Velha Guarda da Portela album in 1970.) [Late 1960s–1970s]
• Cartola - Legendary sambista whose club Zicartola gave Paulinho one of his first steady performing spaces, integrating him into Rio’s samba elite. (Live performances at Zicartola; Cartola’s venue was crucial for Paulinho’s early exposure and networking.) [Early–mid 1960s]
• Portela Samba School - Key institutional and artistic home; Paulinho composed for and identified strongly with Portela, later breaking with the school over commercialization issues. (Association with Portela’s repertoire and promotion of Portela composers such as in “Passado de Glória” (by Monarco) on his album tracklist.) [1960s–mid 1970s (formal ties), with enduring symbolic connection]

Artists Influenced

• Younger traditional samba and choro revivalists (collective) - Paulinho’s acoustic, roots-focused style and his role in the 1960s–70s traditional samba revival provided a template for later sambistas who rejected overly commercial approaches. (Influence radiates from classic albums such as “Foi um Rio que Passou em Minha Vida,” “Dança da Solidão” and his work with Velha Guarda da Portela.) [1970s onward]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia