Renato Teixeira came to appreciate the pastoral charms of the caipira tradition only after establishing himself as a city-based songwriter, with an aim of widening its appeal. Numerous leading performers, among them Elis Regina, Richard Clayderman, Chitãozinho e Xororó, Sérgio Reis, Leandro e Leonardo, Inezita Barroso, and Fábio Júnior, have cut his composition “Romaria.” Less widely known yet still notable are “Sina de Violeiro,” later re-recorded by Sérgio Reis, and “Tocando em Frente,” created with Almir Sater. Over the course of more than sixteen solo LPs and CDs, Teixeira achieved a commercial breakthrough with Ao Vivo no Rio, an album that succeeded in a city generally unreceptive to rural-rooted music. The Prêmio Sharp honor came his way in 1992.
Songwriting began for Teixeira at age fourteen in upstate São Paulo. After relocating to the capital in 1967, he placed “Dadá Maria” in the III FMPB (Festival of Brazilian Popular Music). Gal Costa recorded the piece that same year, while Clara Nunes, Sílvio César, and Teixeira himself added versions in later years. Also in 1967 he composed the valse “A Madrasta,” which Roberto Carlos taped the following year and performed at the IV FMPB. “Marinheiro” earned a slot in the VII FIC (International Song Festival). Written in 1973—the same year Teixeira issued his debut LP—“Romaria” captured in melody and verse the wistfulness of someone compelled to leave the countryside for urban life; Elis Regina’s recording four years afterward brought the composer lasting recognition. Regina included another Teixeira number, “Sentimental Eu Fico,” on that same album, Elis.
