Gilberto Gil (BR)

About

Also known as: Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira, [Gilberto Gil]

Few Brazilian artists have packed as much into one career as Gilberto Gil. A founding force behind tropicália, the genre bending movement that fused bossa nova and traditional Brazilian sounds with rock and roll from the US and Europe, Gil helped shape the country's musical identity in the 1960s alongside his longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso. That influence came at a cost: the military regime arrested both of them in late 1968, and after nine months they were pushed out of the country. Gil landed in London, where he played alongside acts like Pink Floyd and Yes before returning to Bahia in 1972. Back in Brazil, Gil kept expanding his sound, weaving in African music and reggae and essentially introducing the latter genre to Brazilian audiences. His albums Quanta Live and Eletracústico both won Grammy Awards in the World Music category. He also served as Brazil's Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2008, becoming a prominent voice for free software and drug policy reform. The 2020 upload Norte da Saudade, recorded with his granddaughter Flor Gil, shows he has not slowed down.