Emerging into a household steeped in melody, Paulinho da Viola counted among his early surroundings a father named César Faria, a violonista affiliated with the celebrated choro collective Época de Ouro under the direction of the storied Jacó do Bandolim. These solemn chorões, steadfast guardians of choro’s lengthy lineage, convened each week at the Faria home, where Jacó’s resonant baritone voice enforced total stillness throughout every rehearsal. The young Paulinho absorbed those resonant Brazilian historical sounds that ultimately molded his enduring character. A lifelong, resolute champion of genuine native samba and choro, he declined to abandon his principles in pursuit of market favor. Remarkably, that unwavering sincerity succeeded on its own terms; although his releases had never struggled to exhaust their pressings, 1996’s Bebadosamba raised the bar by securing his debut gold record after 100,000 copies moved—an uncommon accomplishment for wholly noncommercial, pure samba-of-the-hills repertoire.
Opposed by his father, who urged a conventional career path, the youthful Paulinho da Viola taught himself the violão and recounted the experience in his samba “Catorze Anos.” He later received instruction from family friend Zé Maria, an established composer. In 1959 he encountered the pivotal Brazilian popular-music figure Chico Soares, better known as Canhoto da Paraíba, an exceptional violonista who performed on reversed strings and encouraged deeper study; soon afterward Paulinho composed an unrecorded choro. His earliest samba, the likewise unrecorded “Pode ser Ilusão” of 1962, surfaced once he had begun attending rehearsals at the samba school União de Jacarepaguá, a convenient choice located near his aunt’s residence that afforded greater nocturnal liberty than his father permitted. There he met sambistas Catoni and Jorge Mexeu, whose encouragement led him, the following year and at the invitation of his cousin Oscar Bigode—then diretor de bateria for Portela—to transfer his allegiance to that more historic school.
During his debut appearance at Nozinho’s bar, Paulinho presented the incomplete samba “Recado” to an audience that included João da Gente, Jair do Cavaquinho, Zé Keti, and Casquinha; Casquinha immediately supplied the bridge, instantly securing Paulinho both acceptance as a Portela composer and a distinguished collaborator. While continuing accounting studies and employment as a bank clerk, he one day assisted poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, a figure deeply immersed in popular-music circles and rodas de choro and samba; prior encounters at those gatherings blossomed into close friendship, with Hermínio becoming both partner and ardent advocate of Paulinho’s career. Still in 1963, Hermínio introduced him to Cartola, whose influence would mark Paulinho’s early style. With the Zicartola venue thriving, Paulinho began performing there on violão or cavaquinho, accompanying others or interpreting their material until Zé Keti prompted him to unveil his own compositions, imparting decisive momentum from 1964 onward.
The year 1965 brought dual milestones: the musical Rosa de Ouro, staged by Hermínio Bello de Carvalho across Rio, São Paulo, and Bahia and featuring singers Clementina de Jesus and Aracy Cortes alongside the Cinco Crioulos—Elton Medeiros, Nélson Sargento, Anescarzinho, Jair do Cavaquinho, and Paulinho, newly nicknamed “da Viola” by Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral—and the release of the LP Roda de Samba. Originally conceived merely as a repertoire tape, the project attracted Musidisc, which recorded the Cinco Crioulos (minus Nélson Sargento), augmented by Zé Keti and Oscar Bigode and renamed A Voz do Morro; among its tracks stood three of Paulinho’s creations: “Coração Vulgar,” “Conversa de Malandro,” and “Jurar com Lágrimas.” Commercial response prompted Musidisc to issue Roda de Samba II later that same year, retaining the same personnel plus Nélson Sargento and containing Paulinho’s “Recado” and “Responsabilidade.” Critics hailed both unadorned, hill-centered samba documents as records of the year; although pressings sold out rapidly, Paulinho later noted minimal financial return. Their visibility drew the larger label RGE, which commissioned another Voz do Morro album in 1966 featuring his partido-alto samba “Sinhá Não Disse.”
Also in 1966, Paulinho’s samba enredo “Memórias de um Sargento de Milícias” captured the Carioca Carnival contest for Portela. That year he joined Elton Medeiros on the RGE LP Na Madrugada, which included his sambas “Arvoredo,” “Catorze Anos,” “Momento de Fraqueza,” “Minhas Madrugadas” (with Candeia), “Jurar com Lágrimas,” and “Rosa de Ouro” (with Elton and Hermínio de Carvalho). He placed third at the II Festival of Brazilian Popular Music on Record TV with “Canção Para Maria” (with Capinam), sung by Jair Rodrigues, and accompanied Clementina de Jesus to the Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal. Odeon released Rosa de Ouro, Vol. II in 1967. The following year Paulinho reached sixth place at the I Bienal do Samba with “Coisas do Mundo, Minha Nega,” performed by himself and later included on his debut solo Odeon LP, Paulinho da Viola. At the FBPM of Record TV he faced a delicate situation after Hermínio requested a song for an unrealized musical; interpreted by Elza Soares, “Sei Lá, Mangueira” advanced to the finals, compelling Paulinho to reconcile with fellow Portelenses over its reference to a rival school.
At the V FBPM in 1969 he secured first prize with the more introspective “Sinal Fechado,” shifting from expansive hill expression toward reflective elaboration. In 1970 his lengthy lyrics for “Foi um Rio que Passou em Minha Vida” were embraced by Carnival crowds; Odeon issued an album of the same title, while Paulinho produced for RGE the compilation Portela, Passado de Glória, which featured his father on violão. He returned to Odeon in 1971 with an LP honoring Nelson Cavaquinho via the samba “Sol e Pedra,” followed in 1972 by A Dança da Solidão and performances in the R.F.A. and Austria alongside Maria Betânia, Jorge Arena, Sebastião Tapajós, Terra Trio, and Pedro Sorongo. With Sérgio Cabral he mounted the 1973 show Sarau at Rio’s Teatro da Lagoa, reintroducing Época de Ouro to a new middle-class generation; that year Odeon also released Nervos de Aço, whose somber tone mirrored his recent separation from Isa Souza Dantas. After the couple’s reconciliation he recorded 1975’s Amor à Natureza for Odeon. EMI issued the double set Memórias 1: Cantando and Memórias 2: Chorando in 1976; subsequent self-titled LPs appeared in 1977 and 1978, followed by 1979’s Zumbido on EMI, which revisited compositions by Wilson Batista. WEA released another Paulinho da Viola album in 1981 and EMI issued A Toda Hora Rola uma História in 1982; for RCA he recorded Eu Canto Samba in 1989.
Marisa Monte included his “Dança da Solidão” on her 1994 CD Cor de Rosa e Carvão. That year Paulinho inaugurated the Heineken Concerts at São Paulo’s Plaza showroom with the Velha Guarda da Portela, Canhoto da Paraíba, and Gilberto Gil. Musidisc reissued Roda de Samba on CD in 1995, while EMI reissued several earlier titles in the same format. Odeon reissued eleven previously out-of-print LPs in 1996, the year Paulinho performed on Copacabana beach during New Year’s festivities alongside Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Milton Nascimento; afterward he publicly noted receiving one-third the compensation of his peers. Following an eight-year studio absence he delivered Bebadosamba through BMG in 1996; the platinum-certified set, which moved 100,000 copies, spawned a critically acclaimed namesake tour. He also released the live double CD Bebadachama, recorded at São Paulo’s Tom Brasil with his father, which APCA named best of the year. RGE reissued Na Madrugada and A Voz do Morro on CD in 1997. Beyond his musical achievements, Paulinho da Viola is a skilled cabinetmaker who crafted all his household furniture and presents pieces to close friends—an artisanal sensibility that informs the meticulous construction of his songs and their deep connection to his cultural origins.
