Flávio Guimarães (born November 10, 1963) is a Brazilian composer, harmonica player and singer. Considered a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

pioneer in Brazil, he founded the band Blues Etílicos in 1986, which is considered the most successful Brazilian blues group. He has also played with many famous artists along his career, such as

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and

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

Biography

Flávio Guimarães was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil. There he studied harmonica with Maurício Einhorn. He started his musical career around 1985. In 1986, he formed the group Blues Etílicos, with Greg Wilson (vocals and guitar), Otávio Rocha (guitar), Gil Eduardo (drums) and Cláudio Bedran (bass). With the group, Guimarães did many show around Brazil and the world, and recorded several albums. In 1988, Guimarães travelled to Chicago, where he played with many American musicians, including the harmonicist

. One year later, he opened Festival de Blues, in

Ribeirão Preto Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a municipality and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-largest municipality in the State wi ...

, São Paulo, Brazil, playing with

. In that same year, he also opened shows for

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

and

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

, during Free Jazz Festival. In the following years, Guimarães played in the most important festivals in Brazil, such as Blues Fest, Rock in Rio II, and Nescafé in Blues. During this period, he also played with many famous Brazilian artists, like

Roberto Frejat Roberto Frejat (born May 21, 1962) is a musician, composer, singer and co-founder of the band Barão Vermelho. Frejat, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, is considered one of the most important people in the Brazilian Rock scene. He co-founded the ...

and

, as well as with international artists such as Midnight Blues Band. Since 1990, when Bizz magazine indicated Guimarães as one of the best harmonicists of Brazil, he has participated in many harmonica player meetings. In fact, Guimarães became famous among Brazilian harmonicists because he was the first one to play

diatonic harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

s in that country, introducing new possibilities of timbre to the music of his nation. In 1998, he participated in Harmonica's Night, with

Carey Bell Carey Bell Harrington (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s bef ...

and Peter Madcat. In this same period, with a new band, he opened for B. B. King, in

Via Funchal Via Funchal, with an area of 15,000 m2, was an arena in São Paulo, Brazil, that hosted many events, such as concerts and other shows before closing in December 2012.Seated, it hosted 3,120 people and standing, it hosted as many as 6,000 people. ...

, Brazil. He, with Tavares da Gaita, was considered one of the most important attractions in the history of the Rec-Beat festival, in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, Brazil. Along his career, Guimarães recorded many albums. His first solo album was '' Little blues'', in 1995. In 2000, he recorded his second album, named ''On the loose''. In 2007, celebrating 20 years of Blues Etílicos, his band recorded an album in honor of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, one of the biggest exponent blues musician. Around two years later, Guimarães recorded another solo album, named ''The blues follows me'', and he toured Brazil extensively, promoting this work.

Discography

Solo albums

*1995: '' Little blues'', Eldorado *2000: ''On the loose'', Eldorado *2003: ''Navegaita'', Eldorado *2006: ''Flávio Guimarães e Prado Blues Band'', Chico Blues Records, with Prado Blues Band *2007: ''Vivo'', Delira Blues *2009: ''The blues follows me''

With Blues Etílicos

*1988: ''Blues Etílicos'', Satisfaction *1989: ''Água mineral'', Eldorado *1990: ''San-Ho-Zay'', Eldorado *1991: ''IV'', Eldorado *1994: ''Salamandra'', Natasha Records *1996: ''Dente de ouro'', Excelente discos *2001: ''Águas barrentas'', Eldorado *2003: ''Cor do Universo'' *2007: ''Viva Muddy Waters'', Delira Blues

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guimaraes, Flavio 1963 births Living people Blues harmonica players Brazilian harmonica players 21st-century Brazilian male singers 21st-century Brazilian singers 20th-century Brazilian male singers 20th-century Brazilian singers