Chico César

Brazilian musical artist Chico César was born Francisco César Gonçalves in Catolé do Rocha on January 26, 1964. He began playing music as a boy and continued this practice even while working as a journalist during his 20s. He grew a local fan base during the early 90s and started his recording career in 1995 with the album Aos Vivos. His songs were steeped in poetry as well as the folklore and politics of his home country, and his witty and topical songwriting were showcased on the successful singles "Mama África" and "À Primeira Vista". He toured regularly throughout the rest of the decade and released two more albums, 1996’s Cuzcuz-Clã and 1997’s Beleza Mano. Many of his songs were covered by other artists. For 2000’s Mama Mundi he composed a series of songs about the struggles of Brazilian people, and kept the music rooted in traditional Brazilian sounds. He worked steadily throughout the 21^st century, releasing albums regularly. He capped the 2010s with 2019’s O Amor é um Ato Revolucinário, an album that Brazilian critics hailed as one of the best of the year.