Sivuca

Origin

Itabaiana, PB

Also known as

Severino Dias de Oliveira

Years Active

1948–2006

Genres

choro, frevo, forró, jazz, baião, classical music, blues, bossa nova, MPB

Instruments

sanfona, accordion, acoustic guitar, voice

Biography

Severino Dias de Oliveira, immortalized as Sivuca, was one of the most complete and versatile musicians in Brazilian history. Born in Paraíba and having albinism, he began his musical journey as a child when he received an accordion as a gift. His professional training was solidified in Recife, where he worked at important radio stations and developed the technique that would make him a master of the accordion, acoustic guitar, and orchestration. In the early 1950s, he achieved national prominence with the success "Adeus, Maria Fulô," in partnership with Humberto Teixeira, a composition that years later would gain an iconic rendition by Os Mutantes.

His international career was vast and prestigious, taking the Brazilian sound to stages in Europe and the United States. During the years he lived abroad, Sivuca demonstrated a unique ability to move between genres such as jazz, bossa nova, and classical music, working with renowned arrangers and global artists. Back in Brazil, he continued to produce fundamental works, exploring northeastern rhythms such as forró and frevo with unprecedented harmonic sophistication, often accompanied by his wife, composer Glorinha Gadelha.

Throughout his career, he collaborated with great names in instrumental and popular music, such as acoustic guitarist Rosinha de Valença and accordionists Dominguinhos and Oswaldinho do Acordeon. His legacy is marked by an extensive discography that ranges from experimental solo albums to the "Sivuca Sinfônico" project, where he united the accordion with the grandeur of an orchestra. Sivuca passed away in 2006, leaving a precious collection that reflects his genius in transforming the regional into the universal.

Discography

• Eis Sivuca! (1956)
• Motivo para Dançar (1958)
• Irany Pinto, José Menezes, Moacyr Silva, Sivuca – 4 Azes em Hi-Fi (1958)
• Sivuca Accompagné Par Les Rythmes Brésiliens de Silvio Silveira – Bossa Nova - L'Inimitable Sivuca (1962)
• Sivuca Et Les Rythmes Brésiliens de Silvio Silveira – Samba "Nouvelle-Vague" (Bossa Nova) (1962)
• Putte Wickman Meets Sivuca (1966)
• Bossa Nova (1968)
• Sivuca (1969)
• Oscar Brown Jr. / Jean Pace / Sivuca – Joy (1970)
• Sivuca (1973)
• Live At The Village Gate (1975)
• Sivuca & Rosinha de Valença – Gravado Ao Vivo (1977)
• Sivuca (1978)
• Astrud Gilberto Con: Stanley Turrentine, Eumir Deodato, Bob Mann, Dom um Romao, Joao Palma Y Sivouca – Astrud Gilberto (With Turrentine) (1979)
• Cabelo de Milho (1980)
• Forró e Frevo (1980)
• Vou Vida Afora (1981)
• Putte Wickman & Sivuca (1982)
• Forró e Frevo - Vol. 2 (1982)
• Forró e Frevo - Vol. 3 (1983)
• Onça Caetana (1983)
• Forró e Frevo - Vol. 4 (1984)
• Sivuca & Chiquinho Do Acordeon (1984)
• Toots & Sivuca – Chiko's Bar (1985)
• Som Brasil (1985)
• Le Monde Musical de Sivuca "Ses Meilleurs Themes" (1986)
• Sivuca & Guitars Unlimited – Let's Vamos (1987)
• Sivuca e Rildo Hora – Sanfona e Realejo (1987)
• Um Pé no Asfalto, um Pé na Buraqueira (1990)
• Erik Petersen (5), Sivuca – One Good Turn (1992)
• Sivuca , Convidado Especial João Lyra – Pau Doido (1992)
• Enfim Solo (1997)
• Roberto Corrêa, João Lyra, Adelmo Arcoverde Participações Especiais Sivuca, Rolando Boldrin, Zé Mulato & Cassiano – Ao Capitão Furtado - Marvada Viola (1997)
• Sivuca, Orquestra Sinfônica do Recife, Osman Giuseppe Gioia – Sivuca Sinfônico (2004)
• Sivuca e Quinteto Uirapuru (2004)
• Dominguinhos, Sivuca & Oswaldinho – Cada um Belisca um Pouco (2004)
• Terra Esperança (2006)
• Ho-Ba La-La (2013)
• Viva Meu Samba (2021)
• Sivuca e Seu Acordeom (2022)
• Dançar com Sivuca (2022)
• Sivuca Et Ses Rythmes Bresiliens