Ataulfo Alves

Origin

Miraí, MG

Years Active

1933–1969

Genres

samba, brazilian popular music

Instruments

acoustic guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin

Biography

Ataulfo Alves de Sousa was born in Miraí, Minas Gerais, on May 2, 1909. The son of a guitar player and repentista known as Capitão Severino, the artist had a childhood marked by humble jobs before losing his father at age ten and moving to the urban center of his hometown. In his youth, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he worked as a pharmacy assistant and developed his musicality, learning to play the acoustic guitar, cavaquinho, and mandolin while integrating into the Rio samba circles.

His career in the phonographic industry began to take off in the 1930s, when his first compositions were recorded by big names of the era, such as Almirante and Carmen Miranda. During the Golden Age of Brazilian radio, Ataulfo forged memorable partnerships with composers like Mário Lago and Wilson Batista, creating timeless classics that portrayed urban daily life and memories of his homeland, as seen in works immortalized in the voices of Brazilian popular music interpreters such as Clara Nunes and Quarteto em Cy.

In addition to his prolific work as a composer, which surpassed three hundred cataloged songs, Ataulfo innovated the format of studio arrangements by introducing female choirs into his recordings, creating the iconic group Ataulfo Alves e Suas Pastoras. The artist passed away in Rio de Janeiro on April 20, 1969, leaving an indelible legacy for national culture and being posthumously honored in his hometown with the creation of a memorial and a mausoleum.

Discography

• Ataulfo Alves, Jorge Fernandes, Léo Peracchi, Lenita Bruno, Heitor dos Prazeres – Melodias de Terreiro: Pontos e Rituais (1955)
• Ataulfo Alves e Suas Pastoras! (1955)
• Ouvindo Ataulfo Alves (1956)
• Heitor dos Prazeres, Jorge Fernandes, Ataulfo Alves, João da Baiana – Macumba (1958)
• É Bossa Mesmo (1961)
• Meu Samba... Minha Vida (1962)
• Na Ginga do Samba (1964)
• Eternamente Samba (1966)
• Tradição (1967)
• E Muito Samba (1968)
• O Mestre Ataulfo e Seus Convidados (1968)
• Eu, Ataulfo Alves (1969)
• Leva Meu Samba (1994)
• Sua Melhor Época -2 (2010)
• Sua Melhor Época (2010)
• Mais amor para você (2022)
• Bom Samba - Optimistic Holiday Vibes (2024)
• Mais Samba (2024)