Zeca da Timba

Genres

samba, samba-enredo

Instruments

cavaquinho, voice

Biography

José Inácio dos Santos, better known as Zeca da Timba, is a Brazilian composer and samba musician, born in Guarabira, Paraíba, on November 11, 1932. His musical career spans from 1959, with a strong presence in the samba and samba-enredo genres. He is recognized as one of the founders of the Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Imperatriz Leopoldinense, playing a fundamental role in the modernization of the samba-enredo starting in the 1970s.

Throughout his career, Zeca Katimba, as he is also known, won several samba-enredo contests for Imperatriz Leopoldinense, most notably for the carnivals of 1971, 1972 (with "Martim Cererê"), 1978, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2015, and 2016. The song "Martim Cererê" achieved great success, extending beyond the avenue to become the theme of Rede Globo's telenovela "Bandeira 2", with impressive sales.

His compositions have been recorded by renowned artists such as Elza Soares, Alcione, Jair Rodrigues, Zeca Pagodinho, Leci Brandão, and Simone, among others. Zeca Katimba is also the author of more than 800 songs, many of them in partnership with João Nogueira and Martinho da Vila. In 2009, his biography "Zé Katimba: antes de tudo um forte", written by Luiz Ricardo Leitão, was released, which included a CD with musical direction by Ilana Linhales.