1930

Sivuca was born Severino Dias de Oliveira. He comes from Itabaiana, countryside of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), where he started playing accordion in fairs and parties at age 9. As he turned 15, Sivuca moved to Recife (capital of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil), where he launched his professional music career on the radio and adopted the artistic name. At 18, he became maestro Guerra Peixe’s pupil, and with him he studied arrangement and composition. His first album was made in 1950, with partner Humberto Teixeira, and generated his first hit, "Adeus Maria Fulô", recorded in psychedelic mode by the Mutantes in their 1968 album. Sivuca moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1955, being hired by a radio and television network. He made other three slightly successful records before heading to Europe for the first time, in 1958, with the group Os Brasileiros, with whom he played the accordion. He ended up staying in Lisbon and later in Paris, where he made records and shows. In 1964, Sivuca moved to New York, remaining for 12 years. There, he worked with Miriam Mokeba, writing the renowned arrangement for her mega hit, "Pata Pata" and touring Asia, Africa and the Americas with her up till 1969. He also worked with other Brazilian musicians in the US, like Hermeto Pascoal, Airto Moreira and Gloria Gadelha, who became his wife and co-author of "Feira de Mangaio", regarded as one of forró’s classics. Other successful associations were made with Chico Buarque ("João e Maria") and Paulo Tapajós ("No Tempo dos Quintais" and "Cabelo de Milho"). In the 70s he became popular in Scandinavian countries, making live records and playing a lot of shows, which he still does to this day.