Altay Veloso

Origin

São Gonçalo, RJ

Genres

MPB, samba, romantic pagode

Instruments

voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Biography

Altay Veloso da Silva was born in São Gonçalo on February 26, 1951. He is the grandson of an accordionist and the son of a jongo dancer from Espírito Santo and an African-rooted religion priestess. He began his artistic journey at the age of twenty-one, joining prestigious bands in Rio de Janeiro such as "O Rancho" and "Bando do Bando", the latter being a precursor to Banda Black Rio.

Throughout his career, he established himself as one of Brazil's most prolific composers, having written over 450 songs recorded by major names in MPB and other genres, such as Roberto Carlos, Alcione, Nana Caymmi, Elba Ramalho, and Jorge Vercillo. He participated in the MPB Shell festival in 1980 and released his debut self-penned album, "O cantador", followed by records with the Polygram and Warner Continental labels, in addition to placing songs on telenovela soundtracks and performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

In 1994, he chose to focus entirely on composition, creating romantic pagode hits and later releasing independent works through his own label, founded in 1998. Altay also stood out in literature as well as in classical and popular music by writing the opera "O Alabê de Jerusalém", in addition to penning award-winning samba-enredos for Rio de Janeiro samba schools such as Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel.

Discography

• O Cantador (1980)
• Avatar (1983)
• Sedução (1986)
• Paixão de D'Artagnan (1988)
• Altay Veloso (2001)
• 13 Gerações (2009)
• Nascido Em 22 de Abril (2014)
• Balé dos Orixás (2016)
• Corrente do Samba (Instrumental) (2024)
• Te Amo Como Nunca Amei