Zé Ramalho

Zé Ramalho (born José Ramalho Neto on October 03, 1949 - Brejo do Cruz - Paraiba, Brazil) is a Brazilian composer and performer.

Official site:

http://www.zeramalho.com.br/ 

As with many musicians back in his younger days, he was first influenced by rock and roll; however, at the age of 20, his music took a more Northeastern Brazilian approach. Ze Ramalho's lyrics however, are very influenced by the socio-economic difficulties faced by the average Brazilian. In his very fist musical debut, called "Paebiru" (1974), Zé Ramalho flirted with the psychedelic Brazilian folk and made outstanding songs with another northwestern musician, Lula Côrtes. Today the copies from the very rare vinyl from 1974 are highly-priced in the international collector's market.

Zé Ramalho has recorded 17 solo albums and collaborated with various major Brazilian musicians, including Vanusa, Geraldo Azevedo and Alceu Valença to name a few. Ze Ramalho is also the first cousin of Elba Ramalho, a well known Brazilian composer and performer. 

Zé Ramalho, nome artístico de José Ramalho Neto, (Brejo do Cruz, 3 de outubro de 1949) é um cantor e compositor brasileiro. O cantor, com sua voz cavernosa, tem uma maneira própria de compor e cantar, misturando ritmos e tendências diversas. Suas influências musicais são uma mistura de elementos da cultura nordestina (cantadores e rabequeiros), da Jovem Guarda (como Roberto Carlos, Erasmo Carlos e Golden Boys), a sonoridade dos Beatles e a rebeldia de The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd e Bob Dylan. Há elementos da mitologia grega e de histórias em quadrinhos em suas músicas. Esta variedade torna seu trabalho diversificado e atemporal, conquistando diversas gerações.