Adoniran Barbosa's Chart

Brazilian singer and composer who had a hit with "Train Eleven Maloca," 1950. Barbosa’s songs, blending humor and melancholy, depicted the drama of individual life amidst the violence in urban areas. Although relatively unknown outside Brazil, he was incredibly popular with the lower classes of the country and is considered the most original of the samba composers of São Paulo. The son of Italian immigrants from Venice, Barbosa was born João Rubinato. His childhood was difficult, and when he was ten years old, he began working to help support his family. When laws that proclaimed 12 as a minimum age for factory workers threatened to interfere, his father solved the problem by changing the year on his birth certificate from 1912 to 1910. His life as a worker didn’t go smoothly; he was continually fired from jobs because he didn’t concentrate on his work, preferring instead to spend his time singing and composing. In 1934, he entered a radio contest and took first place. He worked in radio for much of his career, both in radio soaps and as a comedian, and his comedic talents resulted in some television work during his later years. It wasn’t until 1940 that he gained any notice as a samba composer. Barbosa was married to Mathilde. He died in 1982 in São Paulo.