Neguinho Da Beija-Flor

Neguinho da Beija-Flor launched his career as a puxador in 1970, moving five years later into the same role at Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, the school whose profile rose steadily under his direction. Across seventeen albums issued between 1980 and 2001 he accumulated numerous successes, the most enduring being the soccer anthem “O Campeão.” Recognition arrived in 1991 when he received a Sharp prize for Best Samba Singer. Born to a trumpeter in the renowned Orquestra Tabajara, he absorbed musical instruction from his father at an early age; by ten he had already triumphed in a contest performing a Jamelão samba. His initial work as a puxador took place in 1970 with the bloco Leão de Iguaçu, after which he assumed and retained the principal vocal post at Beija-Flor de Nilópolis. The 1976 samba-enredo “Sonhar Com O Rei Dá Leão” secured the school’s first Carioca Carnival championship. His studio debut, Vida No Peito, appeared on CBS in 1980, followed by fifteen further releases through 2000 that featured sambas-enredo such as “Os Cinco Bailes da História do Rio” by Silas de Oliveira, Dona Ivone Lara, and Bacalhau, and “Aquarela Brasileira” by Silas de Oliveira. Parallel successes came in samba and samba-canção, notably “Ângela” by Serginho Meriti and Alexandre. In 2001 Indie Records issued his first live album, 25 Anos De Fé E Raiz, marking a quarter-century of activity.