1930

The Rio de Janeiro native started out as a tailor (alfaiate) at age 13. The self-taught musician used to write sambas for blocos (carnival groups that perform on the streets during carnival). He took part in samba groups like Reais do Samba and Samba Fofo. But Alfaiate was only discovered in the 70s, when Pulinho da Viola recorded "Coração Oprimido", "A.M.O.R.Amor" and "Cuidado, Teu Orgulho Te Mata". He was a crooner at the nightclub Bolero, in Copacabana, where he was known as Walter Sacode. In 1982 Walter was invited by partner and friend Mauro Duarte to join G.R.E.S. Portela (or Portela Samba School). Hyped by most samba composers and performers in Rio, he has never been acknowledged by recording companies - with a career longer than 50 years and 200 sambas composed, he only made one album, "Olha Aí", released in 1998 on the label Alma and produced by Aldir Blanc and Marco Aurélio.