Biography
Sérgio Sampaio achieved commercial recognition with only a single composition, the enduring "Eu Quero é Botar Meu Bloco na Rua," which Elba Ramalho and Roupa Nova both revisited during the 1990s. Despite limited mainstream breakthrough for his densely crafted lyrics—frequently lauded by reviewers—and his playfully subversive stage presence, numerous fellow artists continued to champion his catalog long afterward. In 1964 his hometown station XYL-9 brought him on as an announcer. Drawing from the samba-canção style of Orlando Silva, Nélson Gonçalves, and Sílvio Caldas, he picked up basic violão chords and began performing at local serestas. The following year found him working as an announcer at Rio’s Rádio Relógio Federal before he returned to Cachoeiro to complete his military obligation. Permanent relocation to Rio came in 1967 as he sought to establish himself as both songwriter and performer. Radio work at stations in Rio de Janeiro, Mauá, and Carioca proved short-lived, each engagement ending because of his freewheeling lifestyle. By 1969 he had joined Rádio Continental, where Erivaldo Santos introduced him to the city’s music circles; together they wrote Sampaio’s first Rio samba, “Chorinho Inconseqüente,” later included on Raul Seixas’s LP Sociedade da Grã-Ordem Kavernista Apresenta Sessão das Dez. After leaving Continental in 1970, Sampaio entered the V FIC with the song “Ei Você.” That November he auditioned at CBS alongside composer Odibar for producer Raul Seixas, who had already taken note of his material. A CBS contract followed in January 1971. In April the track “Sol de 40 Graus,” credited jointly to Sampaio and arranger Ian Guest under the pseudonyms Sérgio Augusto and Átila, was recorded by Trio Ternura and received solid airplay. June brought his debut single as both writer and vocalist, “Coco Verde” backed with “Ana Juan.” September saw him appear on the iconoclastic Sociedade da Grã-Ordem Kavernista Apresenta Sessão das Dez alongside Seixas, Míriam Batucada, and Edy Star. October found him contributing “No Ano 83” to the VI FIC, sharing vocals with newcomer Jane Vaquer, later known as Jane Duboc. A second single appeared in 1972, the same year Raul Seixas secured him a production-assistant post at Philips. Also that year Sampaio recorded “Eu Quero é Botar Meu Bloco na Rua,” presented at the VII FIC with the Golden Boys and Renato Piau; by October the single had sold three hundred thousand copies nationwide. During this peak-visibility stretch he guested on the era’s most-watched variety programs, including Chacrinha and Sílvio Santos. December brought a tuberculosis diagnosis, yet he began sessions for the debut album Eu Quero é Botar Meu Bloco na Rua, released in March 1973. Despite the hit single, the LP moved only five thousand copies. May found him on the Phono 73 showcase, and in October he received the Troféu Imprensa. Another single surfaced in 1974; soon afterward he ended his Philips contract and withdrew for a time to upstate São Paulo. The next year Continental issued the single “Velho Bandido” backed with “O Teto da Minha Casa.” In 1976 the second album, Tem Que Acontecer, earned critical praise yet failed to reach buyers. A further single appeared in 1977, after which Sampaio left Continental and joined a stage bill with Fagner, Zé Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Lô Borges. The independent 1982 release Sinceramente again drew strong reviews but weak sales. A brief 1988 engagement at Rio’s Sala Funarte paired him with Jards Macalé. Two years later he relocated to Bahia, where his performances found a regional audience. Live appearances in 1993 took him to Brasília DF, Goiânia GO, Vitória ES, and Rio de Janeiro RJ. The following year Sampaio succumbed to pancreatitis. In 1998 composer Sérgio Natureza assembled the tribute album Balaio do Sampaio, featuring interpretations of Sampaio’s songs by various artists. Rodrigo Moreira’s biography of the songwriter appeared in 2000 under the Muiraquitã imprint.
Albums
