1962

José de Souza Dantas Filho — or simply Zé Dantas - was a songwriter, poet and folklore researcher whose work was fundamental for the establishment of the baião as a successful genre. That happened due to his compositions with Luiz Gonzaga, from 1950 on. But in 1938, Zé was already writing music and chronicles on folklore for magazines in his native Pernambuco. He met Gonzaga in 1949 and together they wrote "Vem Morena", "A Dança da Moda", "Riacho do Navio", "Vozes da Seca", "A Volta da Asa Branca", "Imbalança", "ABC do Sertão", "Algodão", "Cintura Fina", "Forró de Mané Vito" and others. In 1951, they produced another classic, "Sabiá", and the next year they climbed up the charts with "São João na Roça" and "Acauã". They went national in 1953 with "Xote das Meninas" and "Farinhada". Jackson do Pandeiro, another baião icon, enjoyed great success with Dantas' "Forró em Caruaru". After passing away, his songs kept being reviewed by the biggest MPB stars, like Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Alceu Valença, Fagner, Marisa Monte and new artists, including those who make electronica, like DJ Dolores and Stella Campos.