1924

Coming from Belém do Pará (North of Brazil), he launched his career by playing the guitar at cassinos and radio shows at age 18. He moved to São Paulo to study architecture in 1946, when he began writing songs. Two years later, Blanco settled in Rio de Janeiro and lined-up a group to perform at nightclubs. By that time, he met with Dolores Duran - one of the main interpreters of his music - and Anjos do Inferno, who recorded his samba "Pra Variar" in 1951. By the late 50s, his career as a songwriter kicked in, and he had songs recorded by Dick Farney ("Grande Verdade"), Os Cariocas ("Não Vou pra Brasília"), Doris Monteiro ("Mocinho Bonito") and others. In 1954 he released "Sinfonia do Rio de Janeiro", written with Tom Jobim, with whom he had written "Teresa da Praia". Other big hits were "Pistom de Gafieira" and "Viva Meu Samba", recorded by Silvio Caldas; "Camelô", "Praça Mauá" and "Estatutos da Gafieira", by Dolores Duran; "Samba Triste" (with Baden Powell), by Lúcio Alves, and "A Banca do Distinto", by Isaura Garcia. Blanco released the CD "Guajará: Suíte do Arco-Íris" on WEA in 1993.