Caetano Veloso: Biography of the Bob Dylan of Brazil

Caetano Veloso (1942 - present)

Considered to be Brazil's very own Bob Dylan, Caetano Veloso has had a turbulent career as a musician but has the spoils he deserves. Born in Bahia (in northeastern Brazil), Veloso moved to Rio de Janeiro in the '60s to study philosophy at the Universidade Federal da Bahia. His favorite philosophers were Sartre and Heidegger, and their works largely influenced his leftist political view.

In Rio de Janeiro, Veloso and his sister, Maria Bethânia, began making music. It was a new sound, mixing rock and roll with Brazilian pop and avante-garde music. The music was termed as Tropicalismo and blasted publicly by the Brazilian military government, as well as leftist college students who were dismayed by the style's incorporation of foreign music, such as the stuff from the US. Many of Veloso's songs were banned by the government, or highly censored. In 1969, Veloso and a fellow student spent months in jail, facing exile due to their musical creations. Finally, the two were sent to London, England, and out of the Brazilian government's sight. It was there they worked on their music, furthering their style and attempting to rebuild their careers.

Tropicalismo, also known as Tropicália

Consisting of poetry, theater, and a host of different musical styles, Tropicalismo became a Brazilian art movement, created and developed by innovative artists such as Gilberto Gil (Caetano's prison mate in '69), Bethânia, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, Os Mutantes, and Veloso. Artists of the Tropicalismo movement were fueled by political activism and wrote their songs accordingly. The movement remained strong for a few years, coming on the heels of the coup of 1964. Tropicalismo's movement ended when its leaders, Veloso and Gil, were imprisoned and exiled. Its influence, however, is still present within music today. Popular artists, such as Of Montreal, Nelly Furtado, Devendra Banhart, Kurt Cobain, and Beck have claimed influence from the Tropicalismo movement. Tropicália is now considered to be responsible for what is known as Brazilian Popular Music.