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 that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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

Alceu Valença Alceu Valença (; born July 1, 1946) is a Brazilian singer, musician, and songwriter. Alceu Valenca was born in the countryside of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance betwe ...

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One of his most famous songs is "Salão de Beleza", which was featured on ...

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and

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Biography

Flávio Guimarães was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, 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: Help:IPA/Portuguese, �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a city and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, Brazil. Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-la ...

, 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 that he develo ...

and

John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...

, 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, better known as 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 sc ...

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 harmonicas 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 be ...

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 Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-l ...

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

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

, 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, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

, 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 The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

*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