Antônio Barros

Origin

Queimadas, PB

Years Active

1949–2025

Genres

forró, brazilian popular music

Instruments

tambourine, voice

Biography

Antônio Barros Silva was born in Queimadas, Paraíba, on March 11, 1930. Since his childhood in the countryside, he demonstrated a passion for music, using empty cans to echo his voice with a reverberated effect. At nineteen, he began his professional career as a tambourine player on Rádio Caturité, in Campina Grande, later moving to Recife, where he worked at Rádio Tamandaré and began his career as a composer, establishing a lasting friendship with Jackson do Pandeiro.

Subsequently, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, consolidating his space in the Brazilian music scene and recording songs with great icons of the era, such as Luiz Gonzaga, Genival Lacerda, and Marinês. In 1971, he joined his wife Mary Maciel Ribeiro, known artistically as Cecéu, forming the famous duo Antônio Barros and Cecéu. Together, they built a prolific body of work with more than seven hundred compositions recorded by various renowned interpreters of Brazilian popular music.

The duo scored unforgettable hits such as "Homem Com H", "Bate Coração", and "Por Debaixo dos Panos", sung by great names of MPB and forró. Antônio Barros remained active in music, composing and performing alongside his wife, until passing away in João Pessoa on April 6, 2025, after complications arising from Parkinson's disease.

Discography

• Forró Número Um (2014)
• Um Verso com Música Já Pode Voar (2021)