Ederaldo Gentil

Important composer and one of the grand sambistas of Bahia Ederaldo Gentil had his songs recorded by artists like Jair Rodrigues, Alcione, Roberto Ribeiro, Maria Bethânia, Miltinho, Eliana Pittman, Batatinha, Leny Andrade, Agepê, and Conjunto Nosso Samba, among others. He had hits with "De Menor," "A Bahia Vai Bem," "Eu E A Viola," "Rose," "Impressão Digital," "A Volta Do Mundo," "Feira Do Rolo," and several others. He also had enormous success in the Carnival, consecutively winning the annual contest in Salvador several times. Since he was very young, he accompanied his father in the Carnival dances in Salvador. In 1958, he became a member of the bateria (drum section) of the samba school Filhos do Tororó near his home. Soon, he also became part of the ala dos compositores (the composers' section), with his creations being sung in the rehearsals of the school. In 1967, he won the contest promoted by Salvador's mayoralty with "Rio De Lágrimas," a deed he repeated in the two subsequent years. In the same year, his samba school paraded to his samba-enredo "Dois de Fevereiro." In the next year, his school had the highest grade with his samba-enredo "História dos Carnavais." "Esquece a Tristeza," the composition that won the 1969 mayoralty contest, was recorded by Tião Motorista. In the same year, Ederaldo departed from his school and was asked by every samba school of Salvador to write sambas-enredo for each of them. In the Carnival of 1970, all nine schools (excepted the Filhos do Tororó) presented his sambas. Also in 1970, his compositions "Berequetê" and "Alô Madrugada" (this one with Edil Pacheco) had great success in Jair Rodrigues' recording (in his Talento e Bossa LP). In 1970, he also won the Festival de Sambas de Terreiro de Salvador, with "Samba Chama." He moved to São Paulo in 1972, where he presented himself in TV and radio shows, trying to record an album as interpreter of his compositions. Not having success in his endeavor, he returned to Bahia in the same year, and his samba "In Le In Lá" won the annual contest of 1973. The song, recorded later in his second LP, was his last samba-enredo. In 1975, he was called again to São Paulo by recording company Chantecler, where he recorded the first single, with "O Ouro E A Madeira" and "Triste Samba," the first gaining national success with the recording by group Nosso Samba. The hit opened way for the first LP, Samba, Canto Livre De Um Povo, which was recorded in the same year by the same company. Pequenino followed, which consolidated his success nationally. In the late '70s, he presented the historic show O Samba Nasceu Na Bahia together with Edil Pacheco and Batatinha. In 1984, he released Identidade (Nosso Som) independently. In 1999, his most frequent partner Edil Pacheco produced the album Pérolas Finas, a tribute to the works by Ederaldo Gentil with guests Carlinhos Brown, Elza Soares, Beth Carvalho, and Gilberto Gil, and musicians Cristóvão Bastos, Luciana Rabello, Carlinhos Marques, Ivan Bastos, and Maurício Carrilho.