Severino (Sivuca) Dias de Oliveira (26 March 1930, Itabaiana, Brazil – 14 December 2006, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil) was a Brazilian accordionist and guitarist. In addition to in his home state of Paraíba, in Recife, and in Rio de Janeiro, he worked and lived in Paris, Lisbon, and New York on and off throughout his life.He is best known internationally for his work with Scandinavian jazz musicians in the 1980s. His most famous songs are the Brazilian popular classic João e Maria with lyrics by Chico Buarque and the accordion standard Feira de Mangaio. He is famous for his use of makeshift instruments playing alongside conventional ones and for his versatility, fusing traditional regional styles such as forró and Chorinho with jazz, bossa, classical, and other musical forms.Sivuca and Hermeto Pascoal, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with albinism, have worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.His professional career began in Pernambuco where he went at the age of 15, and continued in his first album with Humberto Teixeira (1950), leading to work in radio and television in Rio de Janeiro from 1955. With "Os Brasileiros" he toured Europe (1958). He moved to New York (1964-76) and worked with Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte among others. Archival footage of his work with Makeba can be seen in Mika Kaurismäki's documentary Mama Africa (2011).He recorded with Putte Wickman (P.W. & Sivuca, 1969), Ulf Wakenius's "Guitars Unlimited" (1987) and Sylvia Vrethammar (Rio de Janeiry Blue, 1985; Rendezvois in Rio, 1995). His "Sivuca Brazilian Group" toured Scandinavia in 1990.He was hospitalized on 12 December and died on 14 December 2006, after a two-year struggle with cancer.
He was born to a farm family. He had to avoid the sun because he was albino, so he was allowed to spend less time on farm chores and more time on music. At age nine, he started playing the accordion at fairs and parties. At fifteen, he began playing on the radio in Recife, Brazil.
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He made his first record in 1950; it included the hit song "Adeus Maria Fulo". Later he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Paris, and New York City. He played in the forro style of northeastern Brazil.
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Accordianist.
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One of the best musicians of Brazil, with success all over the world.
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Os Trapalhões na Serra Pelada
1982
conductor / music arranger
Os vagabundos Trapalhões
1982
conductor - uncredited / music arranger - uncredited
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Os Trapalhões na Serra Pelada
1982
Os vagabundos Trapalhões
1982
No Mundo da Lua
1958
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
As Melhores Coisas do Mundo
2010
writer: "João e Maria"
Por Toda Minha Vida
2007
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Água Viva
1980
TV Series writer: "No Tempo dos Quintais"
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
No Mundo da Lua
1958
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Viva São João!
2002
Documentary
Himself
Known for movies
Os Trapalhões na Serra Pelada (1982) as Music Department
As Melhores Coisas do Mundo (2010) as Soundtrack
Água Viva as Soundtrack
Os vagabundos Trapalhões (1982) as Music Department
$1.7 Million
