Roberto Silva

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Years Active

1930–2012

Genres

samba

Instruments

voice

Biography

Roberto Napoleão Silva, widely known as O Príncipe do Samba, was born in the city of Rio de Janeiro on April 9, 1920. Raised in the neighborhood of Inhaúma after being born in the Cantagalo favela, he began his artistic career on the radio back in the 1930s, establishing himself in the following decades as one of the great voices of the golden age of Brazilian radio by joining the casts of Nacional and Tupi broadcasting stations.

He developed a unique interpretation style, characterized by syncopated and slightly mournful singing, having the icons Cyro Monteiro and Orlando Silva as his main artistic influences. Throughout his vast career, he recorded hundreds of 78 rpm records and dozens of LPs, standing out with iconic series such as the sequence of albums Descendo o Morro, in addition to partnerships with fundamental names of our music such as Ataulfo Alves and Geraldo Pereira.

The singer passed away on September 9, 2012, at the age of 92, in Rio de Janeiro, leaving an invaluable legacy for national culture. His work continued to be celebrated in reissues and compilations that immortalized his essential contribution to the development of traditional samba.

Discography

• Descendo O Morro Nº2 (1959)
• Eu... o Luar... e a Serenata (1960)
• Descendo O Morro Nº 3 (1960)
• Descendo O Morro Nº 4 (1961)
• O Samba É Roberto Silva (1962)
• O Samba É Roberto Silva Nº 2 (1963)
• O Príncipe do Samba (1965)
• Saudade em Forma de Samba (1966)
• Eu... o Luar... e a Serenata (Nº 2) (1968)
• Receita de Samba (1969)
• Protesto ao Protesto (1970)
• Samba de Morro (1974)
• Roberto Silva Interpreta Haroldo Lobo, Geraldo Pereira (E Seus Parceiros) (1976)
• A Personalidade Do Samba (1979)
• Volta por Cima (2002)
• O Melhor (2020)
• Descendo o Morro (2020)
• Sambista Lendário (2022)
• Paixão (2023)