Ximbinha

Origin

Oeiras do Pará, PA

Also known as

Chimbinha, Cledivan Almeida Farias

Genres

brega pop, calypso, brega, mpb

Instruments

guitar

Biography

Ximbinha, born Cledivan Almeida Farias in Oeiras do Pará, is a renowned Brazilian musician, composer, and musical producer. He began playing the guitar at the age of twelve, heavily influenced by regional artists, and quickly established himself as a prominent producer and instrumentalist in Belém. His distinct guitar style helped popularize and refine brega pop while reinventing the calypso rhythm in Northern Brazil.

In 1999, he co-founded the immensely successful Banda Calypso alongside his then-wife, vocalist Joelma. Over a sixteen-year career, the band achieved massive national and international recognition, selling over 15 million albums and producing records for hundreds of artists. Ximbinha's virtuosic guitar work earned him widespread acclaim, including a spot on Rolling Stone Brazil's list of the top 30 Brazilian guitar icons in 2012.

Following the dissolution of Banda Calypso in 2015, Ximbinha continued his musical career by forming new projects such as XCalypso and Cabaré do Brega 100% Pará, collaborating with various regional vocalists like Jéssica Rodrigues. Alongside contemporaries such as Joelma and regional artists like Kim Marques, he remains a key figure in the diffusion and modernization of Amazonian pop and calypso music.