Fagner

Brazilian pop-rock pioneer Raimundo Fagner, known professionally as Fagner, kicked his singing career into gear at the age of six, winning a children's contest on local radio, and later laying down roots in various vocal and instrumental groups. Born on October 13, 1949 in Orós, Brazil to a Lebanese father and Brazilian mother, Fagner began writing his own compositions in the late 1960s, and in 1968 won the Festival de Música Popular do Ceará (Popular Music Festival of Ceará) with "Nada Sou" ("I am Nothing"). After flexing his talents on the live circuit and amassing a following in Brazil, Fager released his debut solo album - Manera Fru Fru, Manera – in 1973, placing himself at the forefront of Brazil's so-called 'Northeast Invasion'; the post-bossa nova movement that melded Brazilian folk styles with jazz, rock and other genres. Fagner released another five studio albums on various labels during the 1970s, as well as a steady stream of albums throughout the 1980s, including 1980's Eternas Ondas and 1987's Romance no Deserto, which sold over one million copies. He continued to release albums throughout the 1990s, including the bossa nova-led Demais in 1993, while also working throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2014, Fagner joined forces with singer and guitarist Zé Ramalho for a collaborative live album, Fagner & Zé Ramalho Ao Vivo.