João Bosco (BR)

About

Also known as: Jao Bosco, Jo o Bosco, Joao Bosco, João Bosco de Freitas Mucci

Few Brazilian artists can claim a catalog as richly layered as João Bosco's. The guitarist and singer from Minas Gerais has spent more than five decades weaving together samba, bossa nova, jazz, and other currents into a sound that the Los Angeles Times called "one of the important architectures" of MPB. His melodic and harmonic writing drew comparisons to the most inventive voices in Brazilian music, and Rolling Stone Brazil ranked him among the 100 greatest Brazilian artists of all time. Much of his most celebrated work grew out of a creative partnership with lyricist Aldir Blanc, with whom he wrote over a hundred songs. Their protest song O Bêbado e a Equilibrista became an anthem against Brazil's military dictatorship and was later adopted by Amnesty International as a theme. His recordings with Elis Regina brought him national recognition, and collaborations with artists like Chico Buarque and Toots Thielemans followed over the years. In 2017 the Latin Recording Academy honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and his 2020 album Abricó de Macaco earned him a Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Song.