Sergio Reis

Sérgio Reis is the stage name of Sergio Bavini, a Brazilian singer who began making his award-winning brand of sertanejo music in the late-1950s. He was born on June 23, 1940, in São Paulo, Brazil, and released his debut single "Enganadora" in 1957. Although the song failed to generate a buzz, Reis began building a small audience that eventually expanded to include The Jet Blacks, an instrumental rock band that regularly backed some of Brazil's biggest acts. He began working with The Jet Blacks on 1967's Coração de Papel, sending four singles —"Nuvem Branquinha," "Fim de Sonho," "Qual a Razão," and the title track — to Number 1 on the Brazilian charts. Mixing traditional Brazilian music with elements of American pop and country, he remained prolific for decades, releasing 10 different albums — including 1977's O Menino da Porteira and 1978's Natureza — in the 1970s and a dozen albums in the 1980s. Songs like "Os Três Boiadeiros," "Cavalo Zaino," "O Menino da Gaita," "João de Barro," and "O Menino da Porteira" became classics not only of his own catalog, but of Brazilian music in general. He occasionally worked as an actor, too, with highlights including the 1984 film Filho Adotivo and the 2003 telenovela series Canavial de Paixões.