Joel de Almeida

Joel de Almeida cut his earliest sambas at Rio de Janeiro’s Casa Edison in 1932. The following year he teamed with Gaúcho to form the duo Joel e Gaúcho, whose most prosperous stretch lasted until 1947. During 1946 he issued a solo set that included the sambas “Promessa” by Jaime de Carvalho and “Trabalhar Eu Não” by Aníbal de Almeida. While the pair toured Argentina in 1947 the partnership ended, leaving Joel in Buenos Aires to pursue solo engagements. In 1951 he waxed his own samba “Hoje a Coisa é Diferente” together with the baião “Ai! Que Bom,” which he wrote with Dom Roy. The next year the duo briefly reunited, yet Gaúcho soon left music behind and settled in upstate Rio de Janeiro.

Joel captured the memorable fox trot “Canção Para Inglês Ver” by Lamartine Babo in 1955, then, in 1956, his marcha “Quem Sabe Sabe,” composed with Carvalhinho; the latter number, performed by Joel himself, became a nationwide success and endures as a classic. That same year he also recorded the fox trot “Loura ou Morena” by Vinicius de Moraes and Haroldo Tapajós. Another hit arrived in 1958 with the samba “Madureira Chorou,” credited to Carvalhinho and Júlio Monteiro, which remains popular. Serving as A&R director for Polydor, Joel introduced Roberto Carlos to the label in 1959. Joel e Gaúcho returned to the studio in 1962 for the LP Joel e Gaúcho, featuring their earlier successes “Aurora,” “Pierrô Apaixonado,” and additional tracks. Following Gaúcho’s death, Joel sustained his career as singer, composer, and broadcaster at Rádio Tupi in São Paulo.