This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jaxcorner (talk | contribs) at 05:38, 11 October 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 05:38, 11 October 2007 by Jaxcorner (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Nelson Cavaquinho was born in Rio de Janeiro on October 29, 1911. His given name was Nelson Antônio da Silva. Coming from a poor family, he quit school at a young age to seek employment in a factory. He showed a musical talent at a young age playing a home-made guitar made of a cigar box and wires. When he could, he would borrow a cavaquinho and try and copy the techniques of professional cavaquinho players. He demonstrated a great ability to play the instrument and composed a choro which gained him notoriety as a musician. He was finally given a cavaquinho and having demonstrated a unique playing style on the instrument was given the nickname "Nelson Cavaquinho".
As a young man he became acquainted with famous samba players like Cartola, Carlos Cachaça and Zé da Zilda. He went on to compose over 600 compositions. Some of his more well know works are: "A Flor e o Espinho", "Folhas Secas", "O Bem e o Mal" and "Juízo Final".
He died of emphysema on February 18, 1986, at the age of 74.