Gerônimo

Origin

Salvador, BA

Years active

1960

Genres

mpb, axé, samba-reggae, lambada

Instruments

percussion, vocals

Biography

Gerônimo Santana Duarte, born in Salvador, Bahia, on June 26, 1953, is a renowned Brazilian singer and songwriter deeply rooted in Afro-Bahian culture and rhythms. A native of the island of Bom Jesus dos Passos, he began his musical journey playing in the Ilha Philharmonic Orchestra and, in the late 1960s, was already performing on stages in Salvador. In addition to his work as a percussionist for the Dodô e Osmar Electric Trio and his collaboration with Luiz Caldas, Gerônimo also stood out as an Afro-contemporary dancer, incorporating dance elements and the ijexá rhythm as the rhythmic foundation of his creations.

His work is marked by great classics of Bahian music and popular carnival anthems, such as the pioneering samba-reggae "Eu sou Negão", in addition to hits like "Lambada Jubiabá" and "Lambada da Delícia". His most famous composition, "É d'Oxum", written in partnership with Vevé Calasans, gained enormous prominence when it became part of the soundtrack of the miniseries Tenda dos Milagres, broadcast by Rede Globo in 1985, and was later consecrated in the voice of interpreters like Gal Costa. Throughout his career, Gerônimo built a striking discography with albums such as Página Musical and Mensageiro da Alegria.