1958

José de Assis Valente was born in Bahia and had a disturbing childhood, having been drifted apart from his parents very early in life. He worked as a pharmacyst, took drawing classes and became a professional prosthodontist. He headed for Rio de Janeiro in 1927 and worked as a prosthodontist. In the early 1930s, he began writing sambas. The first one, "Tem Francesa no Morro", became a hit, as recorded by Araci Côrtes in 1932. Later on, he met with Carmen Miranda and began writing songs like "Good Bye, Boy" and "Etc" especially for her. Carmen was the greatest interpreter and promoter of Assis' sambas. "Minha Embaixada Chegou", "Uva de Caminhão", "Camisa Listrada", "E o Mundo Não Se Acabou" and "Recenseamento" were some of the songs made eternal on Miranda's voice. His most famous composition, though, was rejected by her. "Brasil Pandeiro" was eventually recorded by vocal group Anjos do Inferno in 1940, being turned into a big hit, and recorded by the group Novos Baianos over 30 years later. Other vocal groups also helped making Valente's music more popular, such as Bando da Lua (with "Maria Boa", 1936) and Qautro Ases e Um Coringa ("Boneca de Pano", 1950). Another big hit was the Christams march "Boas Festas", released by Carlos Galhardo in 1933 and re-recorded in 1941 and 1956. Assis Valente's personal life was quite messy. He attempted suicide for the first time in 1941, jumping down from the Corcovado mountain. He was rescued by firemen. Recovered, he wrote "Fez Bobagem", a remarkable song recorded by Aracy de Almeida. But his successful career as a songwriter was not enough to keep him alive, so he tried to slit his wrists, but only managed to take his own life by ingesting a mixture of guaraná and poison, in 1958. Many important artists recorded Valente's music, such as Nara Leão, Chico Buarque and Adriana Calcanhotto.