Renato Pelado

Origin

Santos, SP

Genres

rock, death metal, hardcore punk, reggae rock

Instruments

drums, percussion, turntables

Biography

Renato Peres Barrio, better known as Renato Pelado, is a Brazilian musician and DJ born in Santos on March 5, 1965. He first gained prominence in the heavy metal scene as the original drummer for the death metal band Vulcano, with whom he recorded the seminal 1986 album Bloody Vengeance. Before achieving mainstream success, he performed MPB in local bars and played in various rock projects alongside musicians like Marcão.

Pelado is most widely recognized as a founding member and the original drummer of the immensely popular Brazilian rock band Charlie Brown Jr., which he joined upon its formation in 1992. Alongside frontman Chorão, guitarist Thiago Castanho, and bassist Champignon, Pelado helped shape the group's signature fusion of punk rock, hardcore, and reggae, contributing significantly to their songwriting and recording seven successful studio albums. His distinct drumming style incorporated high-pitched snare tuning, rimshots, cowbells, and timbales, heavily influenced by reggae rhythms alongside rock icons like Neil Peart.

Following years of relentless touring and creative tensions within the band, Pelado left Charlie Brown Jr. in 2005 during an indefinite hiatus. In the years that followed, he transitioned into a career as a nightclub DJ and embraced a spiritual path after converting to the Bola de Neve Church in 2011. Though he remained estranged from Chorão for years prior to the frontman's passing, Pelado's foundational rhythms continue to define the golden era of 1990s and 2000s Brazilian alternative rock.