Toniquinho Batuqueiro

Origin

Piracicaba, SP

Also known as

Antônio Messias de Campos

Genres

samba, samba rural paulista, cururu, tambú

Instruments

voice, percussion

Biography

Antônio Messias de Campos, known as Toniquinho Batuqueiro, was born in Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo, on February 25, 1929. Raised close to his grandparents and uncles, who were batuqueiros, he had early contact with the sounds of Tambu and Cururu, musical manifestations of religious and Afro-Brazilian origin. With the death of his mother, he moved to São Paulo, where he immersed himself in the universe of samba, frequenting circles in Parque Peruche and Campos Elíseos. During his youth, he worked as a shoeshine boy in Praça da Sé, rubbing shoulders with important names of São Paulo samba such as Geraldo Filme, Synval, and Germano Mathias.

In the 1970s, Toniquinho Batuqueiro participated in the show "Nas quebradas do mundaréu", conceived by Plínio Marcos, which later became the LP "Plínio Marcos em prosa e samba, nas quebradas do mundaréu" in 1974. Around the same time, he formed the group "Os Batuqueiros" alongside Geraldo Filme and Zeca da Casa Verde. His trajectory also includes stints at samba schools such as Unidos do Peruche and Unidos de Vila Maria, and the founding of the "Embaixada do Samba Paulistano" in 1995. He was recognized as "Ambassador of Samba" in the same year.

Toniquinho Batuqueiro is remembered for combining the musical traditions of the interior of São Paulo with the samba of the capital, being considered a "country accent" of São Paulo samba. Besides being a singer and composer, he was an instrumentalist. He died on November 23, 2011, at the age of 82, in Osasco, SP, after recovering from a stroke. His legacy is fundamental for the preservation and identity of São Paulo samba, with artists like Geraldo Filme and Zeca da Casa Verde being his contemporaries and partners.

Discography

• Plinio Marcos em Prosa e Samba "Nas Quebradas do Mundaréu" (1974)
• Toniquinho Batuqueiro