Caetano Veloso

Origin

Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia

Years Active

1961–present

Genres

MPB, samba, bossa nova, tropicalia, folk rock

Instruments

vocals, guitar

Biography

Caetano Veloso is a towering figure in Brazilian music, a singer-songwriter, musician, writer, and political activist whose career has spanned over five decades. Born in Bahia, a state rich in Afro-Brazilian heritage, Veloso's early musical inclinations were shaped by bossa nova and the iconic João Gilberto. He moved to Salvador, Bahia, where he met fellow future musical luminaries Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. Alongside his sister, the renowned singer Maria Bethânia, Veloso began performing and quickly became a central figure in the burgeoning Tropicália movement of the late 1960s.

Tropicália, a revolutionary artistic movement, sought to fuse Brazilian popular music with international influences like rock and roll, avant-garde art music, and psychedelic sounds. Veloso, along with Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, and Os Mutantes, released the collaborative album "Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis" in 1968, which served as a manifesto for the movement's innovative and eclectic aesthetic. Veloso's politically charged lyrics and his embrace of non-traditional influences, however, brought him into conflict with Brazil's military dictatorship, leading to his arrest and subsequent exile to London with Gilberto Gil.

Upon his return to Brazil in 1972, Veloso continued to push musical boundaries, blending international styles with Brazilian folkloric traditions. His work evolved to encompass a wide range of genres, including samba, MPB, folk rock, funk, and jazz, earning him international admiration and numerous accolades, including multiple Latin Grammy Awards and Grammy Awards. Caetano Veloso is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, celebrated for his poetic lyrics, musical innovation, and enduring influence on Brazilian and global music.

Discography

• Gal e Caetano Velloso – Domingo (1967)
• Caetano Veloso (1968)
• Caetano Veloso (1969)
• 1969 (1969)
• Caetano Veloso (1971)
• Caetano e Chico – Juntos e Ao Vivo (1972)
• Transa (1972)
• Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil – Barra 69 - Caetano e Gil Ao Vivo na Bahia (1972)
• Araçá Azul (1973)
• Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil – Temporada de Verão (Ao Vivo na Bahia) (1974)
• Qualquer Coisa (1975)
• Jóia (1975)
• Caetano, Gal, Gil, Bethânia – Doces Bárbaros (1976)
• Doces Barbaros 1 + 2 (1976)
• Bicho (1977)
• Caetano Veloso & a Outra Banda da Terra – Muito (Dentro da Estrela Azulada) (1978)
• Maria Bethânia e Caetano Veloso – Ao Vivo (1978)
• Caetano Veloso & a Outra Banda da Terra – Cinema Transcendental (1979)
• Outras Palavras (1981)
• João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Maria Bethânia – Brasil (1981)
• Cores, Nomes (1982)
• Caetano Veloso, João Bosco, Ney Matogrosso – Brazil Night Montreux 83 - Gravado Ao Vivo No 17º Festival de Montreux / Julho 83 (1983)
• Uns (1983)
• Velô (1984)
• Podres Poderes (1984)
• Milagres Do Povo (1985)
• Caetano Veloso, Zizi Possi – Disco Mix Dose Dupla (1985)
• Melhores Momentos de Chico & Caetano (1986)
• Totalmente Demais (1986)
• Caetano Veloso (1986)
• Caetano e Gal Costa – London, London (1986)
• Caetano (1987)
• Estrangeiro (1989)
• Meia Lua Inteira (1989)
• Interview And Music From Estrangeiro (1990)
• Circuladô (1991)
• Circuladô Vivo (1992)
• Debaixo dos Caracois dos Seus Cabelos (1992)
• Caetano e Gil – Tropicália 2 (1993)
• Fina Estampa (1994)
• Rumba Azul (1994)
• Caetano Veloso, Jaques Morelenbaum – O Qu4trilho (1995)
• Fina Estampa - Ao Vivo (1995)
• Tieta Do Agreste (Original Soundtrack By Caetano Veloso) (1996)
• Livro (1997)
• Prenda Minha (1998)
• Omaggio a Federico e Giulietta - Ao Vivo (1999)
• Orfeu (1999)
• Você Nunca Ouviu Caetano Assim... (1999)
• CD Entrevista Caetano Veloso ("O Antes o Agora e o Depois ...") (1999)
• Maria Bethania, Caetano Veloso, João Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque – Brazil (2000)
• Noites Do Norte (2000)
• Noites do Norte Ao Vivo (2001)
• DJ Shimoyama Featuring Caetano Veloso – Ilê Aiê (2001)
• Caetano Veloso & Jorge Mautner – Eu Não Peço Desculpa (2002)
• Caetano Veloso e Banda Black Rio – Bicho Baile Show (Ao Vivo - No Teatro Carlos Gomes - Em 1978) (2002)
• Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs – Burn It Blue (2002)
• A Foreign Sound (2004)
• Caetano Veloso, José Miguel Wisnik – Onqoto (2005)
• Milton Nascimento & Caetano Veloso – O Coronel e o Lobisomem - Uma Comédia Fantástica (2005)
• Onqotô (Trilha Sonora Original do Espetáculo do Grupo Corpo) (2005)
• Cê (2006)
• Pipoca Moderna - Caetano Raro e Inédito 2 (2006)
• Multishow Ao Vivo: Cê (2007)
• Doces Barbaros 1 (2007)
• Doces Barbaros 2 (2007)
• Zii & Zie (2009)
• Caetano - Obra em Progresso (2011)
• Ao Vivo Caetano Zii & Zie (2011)
• Multishow Ao Vivo Caetano e Maria Gadú (2011)
• Caetano Veloso Live At Carnegie Hall With David Byrne (2011)
• Especial Ivete, Gil e Caetano (Ao Vivo no Projac, Rio de Janeiro / 2011) (2012)
• Abraçaço (2012)
• Multishow Ao Vivo Caetano Veloso Abraçaço (2013)
• Dois Amigos, um Século de Música (Ao Vivo) (2015)
• Ofertório (Ao Vivo) (2018)
• Caetano Veloso & Ivan Sacerdote (2020)
• Meu Coco (2021)
• Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo (2025)