Sérgio Mendes

Origin

Niterói, RJ

Years Active

1961–2024

Genres

bossa nova, samba, MPB, world music

Instruments

piano, keyboards

Biography

Sérgio Santos Mendes was a renowned Brazilian musician born in Niterói, internationally prominent as one of the great disseminators of bossa nova, samba, and MPB. His career began in the 1960s with the Sexteto Bossa Rio, recording the album Dance Moderno in 1961 and touring Europe and the United States, where he collaborated with various artists and performed at Carnegie Hall. Moving definitively to the USA in 1964, he created groups such as Brasil '65 and the iconic Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66, achieving enormous worldwide success by recording a bossa nova version of Jorge Ben Jor's classic "Mas que Nada".

After a period of lesser commercial repercussion, the artist returned to the top of the charts in 1984 with the hit "Never Gonna Let You Go", consolidating his versatility. In the 90s, he formed the group Brasil '99 and released the acclaimed album Brasileiro, a work that earned him a Grammy Award in the World Music category. Throughout his vast career spanning over thirty albums, Sérgio Mendes also had remarkable encounters with global icons and shared works with major names in Brazilian and international music.

The musician passed away in Los Angeles, in the United States, in September 2024, at the age of 83, after facing complications resulting from respiratory problems. His immense cultural contribution established him as the Brazilian record holder for appearances and ticket sales on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, leaving a lasting legacy in popular music in Brazil and around the world. Throughout his career, he was associated with figures such as Jorge Ben Jor and Cauby Peixoto.

Discography

• Dance Moderno (1961)
• Cannonball Adderley With Sergio Mendes – Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (1963)
• Sérgio Mendes & Bossa Rio – Você Ainda Não Ouviu Nada! (1964)
• The Swinger From Rio (1965)
• In Person At El Matador (1965)
• The Great Arrival (1966)
• The Beat Of Brazil (1967)
• Sergio Mendes, Carlos Lyra And Paul Winter (1968)
• Quiet Nights (1968)
• Sergio Mendes' Favorite Things (1968)
• Brazil (1970)
• Love Music (1973)
• Sergio Mendes (1974)
• Crystal Illusions (1974)
• Sérgio Mendes (AKA I Believe) (1974)
• Vintage 74 (1974)
• Pelé (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1977)
• Pelé (1977)
• Brasil '88 (1978)
• Horizonte Aberto (1979)
• Dama Magica, Brasil ´88 (1979)
• Let It Go (1979)
• Magic Lady (1979)
• Sergio Mendes (1983)
• Dance Attack (1984)
• Confetti (1984)
• Brasil ’86 (1986)
• Mas que Nada (1989)
• Arara (1989)
• Brasileiro (1992)
• Bossa Nova York (1995)
• Oceano (1996)
• Mas que Nada 2001 (2001)
• Timeless (2005)
• Pure Bossa Nova (2005)
• That Heat / The Frog (2006)
• Timeless (Album Sampler) (2006)
• Jazz Sampler (2006)
• Encanto (Album Sampler) (2008)
• Encanto (2008)
• Encanto EP (2008)
• Encanto Radio Sampler (2008)
• Bom Tempo Brasil (Remixed) (2010)
• Bom Tempo (2010)
• Magalenha (2011)
• Sérgio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett – Real In Rio From "Rio" (2011)
• Rendez-Vous (2013)
• ランデヴー (2013)
• Magic (2014)
• Simon Fava & Gregor Salto Feat. Sergio Mendes – Magalenha (2017)
• In The Key Of Joy (2019)
• Outra Vez / Corcovado (2019)
• Simon Fava & Yvvan Back Feat. Sergio Mendes – Magalenha (2023)
• Simon Fava Feat. Sérgio Mendes – Magalenha (2026)
• Booker T. & The M.G.'s / Sergio Mendes – Melting Pot / Viramundo
• Hiphop Sampler
• Best Of mas que Nada Remixes
• The Look Of Love
• Aretha Franklin / The Jackson 5 / Wilson Pickett / Stan Getz / Sérgio Mendes / Mike Douglas – U.S. Savings Bonds Division Presents The Grammy Treasure Chest