Onildo Almeida

Origin

Caruaru, PE

Years active

1940

Genres

baião, forró, mpb

Instruments

violão

Biography

Onildo Almeida was born in Caruaru on August 13, 1928, the son of José Francisco de Almeida and Flora Camila de Almeida. Since his youth, he received strong encouragement from his parents to cultivate his great passion for music, joining various local bands in his adolescence before finding greater prominence working in radio.

Throughout his career as a songwriter, he wrote more than 530 songs, with his works recorded by major icons of our culture such as Gilberto Gil and Luiz Gonzaga. The strong partnership with Luiz Gonzaga was remarkable, highlighted by the recording of the famous song A Feira de Caruaru in 1957, which sold more than 100,000 copies in a few months and earned the King of Baião the first Gold Record of his career.

With a work of international reach, the song A Feira de Caruaru gained versions in dozens of countries, consolidating Onildo Almeida's talent in northeastern music. Despite his vast authorial production, he released only three albums under his own name throughout his career, maintaining an essential legacy for forró and MPB.