1949

A composer and singer best known for the northeastern influence in his work, Paraiba-born Zé Ramalho only began to research this type of music more intensively when he was about 20 y.o. Prior to that, the most significant influence upon her could be attributed to the rock produced by the Jovem Guarda, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He met up with Alceu Valença and Geraldo Azevedo in Paraiba, with whom he teamed up to write and play music. He moved to Rio in the mid-70’s, where Vanusa recorded his first successful composition, "Avorai". His first solo disc, "Zé Ramalho" , was released in 1978, from which time he began to adopt the mix between northeastern music, rock and pop, whilst also achieving recognition as a poet and lyricist. He recorded the highly successful "Admirável Gado Novo" in the following year. From 1981 through 87, Ramalho released one album every year, all of which including hits such as "A Terceira Lâmina", "Força Verde", "Dança das Luzes", "Desejo de Mouro" and "Mary Mar". Zé Ramalho’s career boosted in the latter half of the 90’s. In addition to previously unreleased CD’s such as "Frevoador" and "Cidades e Lendas", he also released the very polished "Antologia Acústica" in 1997, and two volumes of "O Grande Encontro", with Alceu Valença, Elba Ramalho and Geraldo Avezedo. He released "Nação Nordestina" in 2000 - a tribute to well-known Brazilians of Northeastern origins. The CD cover features a parody of the Beatles’ famous "Sgt. Pepper's" sleeve.