Dorival Caymmi
Born
April 30, 1914
Died
August 16, 2008 (94 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Dorival Caymmi (Salvador, April 30, 1914 – Rio de Janeiro, August 16, 2008) was a Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist, poet, painter and actor, active for more than 70 years, beginning in 1933. He contributed to the birth of Brazil's bossa nova movement, and several of his samba pieces, such as "Samba da Minha Terra", "Doralice" and "Saudade da Bahia", have become staples of música popular brasileira. Equally notable are his ballads celebrating the fishermen and women of Bahia, including "Promessa de Pescador", "O Que É Que a Baiana Tem?", and "Milagre". Caymmi composed about 100 songs in his lifetime, and many of his works are now considered to be Brazilian classics. Both Brazilian and non-Brazilian musicians have covered his songs.
Ben Ratliff of The New York Times wrote that Caymmi was "perhaps second only to Antônio Carlos Jobim in 'establishing a songbook of [the 20th] century's Brazilian identity." Throughout his career, his music about the people and culture of Bahia influenced Brazil's image in the eyes of both Brazilians and foreigners. Caymmi was married to Brazilian singer Stella Maris for 68 years, and the couple's children, Dori, Danilo, and Nana, are also prominent musicians. Each debuted professionally by accompanying Caymmi onstage and in recordings. In 2014, Caymmi's granddaughter Alice also began a musical career.
Caymmi was born in Salvador, Bahia, to Durval Henrique Caymmi, the great-grandson of an Italian immigrant, and Aurelina Soares Caymmi, a native Bahian. He had two younger sisters, Dinahir and Dinah, and a younger brother, Deraldo. His father, a civil servant, often played the piano, guitar, and mandolin at home, and his mother, a housewife, sang regularly. He participated in his church's choir for much of his childhood. At age 13, he left school to work as a journalist at Bahian newspaper O Imparcial. When O Imparcial went out of business two years later, he took up work as a street vendor.
Although he never formally studied music, Caymmi taught himself to play guitar in the late 1920s and began to compose, sing, and play his own songs on Bahian radio programs around 1930. He first achieved widespread recognition in 1933, when he composed the song "O Que É Que a Baiana Tem?" ("What Is It About Bahian Women?") for singer Carmen Miranda. In 1936, at age 22, he won a songwriting contest at Salvador's annual Carnaval celebration. His prize was a pink satin lampshade. Despite his early musical success, he moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1938 with intentions to pursue a law degree and to return to working as a journalist. While employed there by the newspaper Diários Associados, he spent his spare time composing and singing songs on the radio show Dragão da Rua Larga. His popularity began to grow with the show's audience. ...
Source: Article "Dorival Caymmi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Nas Ondas de Dorival Caymmi
Self (archive footage)
2024

3 Obás de Xangô
2024

Dorival Caymmi - Um Homem de Afetos
Self (archive footage)
2024

Dorivando Saravá, o Preto Que Virou Mar
Self (archive footage)
2019

Dê Lembranças a Todos
Self (archive footage)
2018

Paulo Gracindo - O Bem Amado
Self (archive footage)
2009
A Casa do Tom: Mundo, Monde, Mondo
Self
2007

Taking a Chance on Love: Jane Monheit in Concert
Self / Guest - Guitar
2005

Celebridade
Self · (1 episode)
2003

Um Certo Dorival Caymmi
Self
2002

Samba Riachão
Self
2001

It's All Brazil
Self
1997

Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional
Self
1997

Bahia de Todos os Sambas
Self
1996
Nosso Amigo Radamés Gnattali
Self
1991

A Embaixatriz do Samba
Self
1991

Talking Cinema
Self
1986

Brasil
Self (archive footage)
1981

Caterina Valente presents Brazilian music
Self
1979
Na Casa de Rio Vermelho
Self
1974

The Sandpit Generals
John Adam
1972

Le Grand Échiquier
Self · (1 episode)
1972

Dorival Caymmi: Programa Ensaio
Self
1972

Bahia, For Example
Self
1969

The Girl from Ipanema
Homem no Carnaval
1967
Estrela da Manhã
1950

Banana-da-Terra
1939