Tito Madi

Tito Madi, a vocalist and songwriter rooted in the samba-canção period, forged an instinctive link to the approaching bossa nova upheaval through the intricate chord progressions of his compositions and the unhurried delivery of his singing, all preserved across 44 albums. Recorded in 1957, his breakthrough success “Chove Lá Fora” earned both popular acclaim and multiple awards, later crossing into the United States where the Platters and Della Reese covered it as “It’s Raining Outside.” The Platters further interpreted two additional Madi pieces, “Quero-te Assim” (“I Wish”) and “Rio Triste” (“Sad River”). Other enduring standards from his catalog include “Balanço Zona Sul,” “Menina Moça” (Luís Antônio), “Canção dos Olhos Tristes,” “Chove Outra Vez” (with Romeu Nunes), “Sonho e Saudade,” and “Amor e Paz.”

His musical involvement began in childhood, and by the age of six he already envisioned an artistic path. At eighteen he held a directorial post at Rádio Pirajuí. He completed his debut composition, “Eu Espero Você,” at twenty; four years afterward the waltz “Eu e Você” appeared on disc via Os Quatro Amigos. In 1952 Tupi in São Paulo engaged him for a two-year stint, after which he received the Revelation Singer of the Year designation for his own “Pirajuí” and “Não Diga Não,” both co-written with Georges Henri. Relocating to Rio de Janeiro, he took on crooning duties in leading nightspots whose repertoires were then absorbing strong jazz inflections. Among his most notable releases stand the four successive volumes of A Fossa, issued in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974. He maintains an active performance schedule and joined the Dubas roster in 2001, issuing Ilhas Cristais that same year.