Chico Buarque

Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque receiving his award for best book in the 5th edition of the award BRAVO! Prime de Cultura in 2009.
Born	Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (1944-06-19) June 19, 1944 (age 72) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other names	Chico Buarque
Occupation	Singer-songwriter artist writer poet playwright
Years active	1962–present
Home town	São Paulo, Brazil Rome, Italy
Spouse(s)	Marieta Severo (m. 1966; div. 1999)
Children	Sílvia Buarque Helena Buarque Luísa Buarque
Musical career
Genres	MPB Samba Bossa Nova Choro Ballad
Instruments	Vocals guitar flute
Labels	RGE Phonogram Inc. Philips Polygram Ariola Records RCA Victor Universal Music Mercury Records Som Livre
Associated acts	Caetano Veloso Milton Nascimento Tom Jobim Gilberto Gil Nara Leão João Gilberto Edu Lobo
Website	chicobuarque.com.br

Francisco "Chico" Buarque de Hollanda (born June 19, 1944 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʃiku buˈaʁki]), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic and cultural commentary on Brazil and Rio de Janeiro in particular.

Son of the academic Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived in several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Italy. He wrote and studied literature as a child and came to music through the bossa nova compositions of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He performed music throughout the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several of his fellow musicians, was threatened by the government and eventually left Brazil in 1969. He moved to Italy again. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970, and continued to record albums, perform, and write, though much of his material was not allowed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s, all of which were acclaimed critically.

Buarque came from an intellectually privileged family background—his father Sérgio Buarque de Holanda was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist and his mother Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim was a painter and pianist. He is also brother of the singer Miúcha and politician Ana de Hollanda. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of bossa nova, specifically the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18 years old and studying European literature, also at a young age. One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing football, beginning at age four, which he still does today. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Buarque spent much of his childhood there and in São Paulo and Italy.