Xico Bizerra

Origin

Crato, CE

Also known as

Francisco Bizerra

Years Active

1960

Genres

forró, regional music, MPB

Instruments

poetry

Biography

Xico Bizerra, artistic name of Francisco Bizerra, is a prominent Brazilian composer, poet, and musical producer born in Crato, Ceará. Based in Recife since the late 1960s, where he initially came to study and work, he built a solid parallel career as a tenured employee of the Central Bank of Brazil for 28 years, a period during which he retired after acting as an Inspector for the Department of Bank Supervision. Alongside his corporate life, he established himself as one of the great defenders of authentic northeastern regional music, refusing to yield to the fads of the phonographic industry and keeping the tradition of the masters of the hinterland alive.

The work of Xico Bizerra stands out for moving between the traditional and the contemporary, updating the melodic language and incorporating new sonorities into the classic hinterland formation composed of accordion, bass drum, and triangle. His prolific production and aesthetic rigor have made him one of the most recorded regional composers in the country, with more than three hundred and fifty artists from different regions interpreting his compositions. One of the great milestones of his career is the song "Se Tu Quiser", released in 2003, which has accumulated hundreds of re-recordings over the years, including an English-language version.

Throughout his career, he has had his songs interpreted by major names of MPB and northeastern music, such as Dominguinhos, Elba Ramalho, Marinês, Amelinha, and Quinteto Violado, in addition to actively supporting new generations of musicians and interpreters to perpetuate the legacy planted by Luiz Gonzaga. His commitment to cultural renewal is reflected in the encouragement of emerging talents who continue to re-record him. In the northeastern scene, his work dialogues with that of established composers and interpreters of the same regional branch.

Discography

• Dominguinhos & Xico Bizerra – Luar Agreste no Céu Cariri (Forroboxote 10) (2012)
• Forroboxote 9 - Candeeiros e Neons (2012)
• Forroboxote 8 - Com a Sanfona Agarrada no Peito (2012)
• Forroboxote 7 - Ser Tao Crianca (2012)
• Forroboxote 5 - Alma Sanfonica (2012)
• Valsas, Canções e Tudo Mais que Há, Vol. 1: O Mais Intimo de Mim (2016)
• Valsas, Canções e Tudo Mais que Há, Vol. 2: Um Amor Maior que Imenso (2016)
• Forroboxote 4 - Cantadores da Nação de 'Seu' Luiz (2021)
• Forroboxote 3 - Mulheres Cantadeiras de uma Nação Chamada Nordeste (2021)
• Forroboxote 1 (2021)
• Forroboxote 2 (2021)
• Outro Amanhecer (2021)
• Cantigas de Sanfoneiro (2021)