Cartola

Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola (Portuguese for top hat), (October 11, 1908 – November 30, 1980) was born in Rio de Janeiro, in a neighborhood called Catete. He got his nick name because he used a “coconut hat” while working as a construction worker so the cement would not dirty his hair.

Cartola was one of the samba composers from the samba school Estação Primeira de Mangueira, and considered responsible for both the choice of the name and the colors adopted by the school (green and pink). Cartola composed, alone or with partners, more than 500 songs.