Jorge Ben Jor (also known as Jorge Ben) is a brazilian singer/musician/composer, responsible for some of the most creative and significant brazilian popular songs of the late 20th century.

Born in Rio de Janeiro on December 29, 1940, Jorge Duílio Lima Meneses (known as Jorge Ben) started his musical carreer playing acoustic guitar on night clubs. There he met most of the big shots of Bossa Nova.

In 1963, a producer spotted him and hired Jorge. His first recorded singles were 'Mas, Que Nada' and 'Por Causa de Você, Menina'. On that same year, he release his first album, 'Samba Esquema Novo' - which would become a classic and revered until this day.

His songs 'Zazueira', 'Mas, Que Nada' and 'Nena Naná' were a hit even in the United States. Most of them were re-recorded by several artists, like Herb Alpert, José Feliciano e Trini Lopez.

Using a mix of funk, pop, samba, soul and swing, Jorge conquered the audiences in Brazil on 1968 with his upbeat songs, like 'País Tropical' - a song that became almost an unofficial anthem for the country.

Some of his best work was released in the following years, until the 80s, when Jorge travelled the world to promote his songs, but was out of the spotlight in Brazil.

In 1989 he changed his name from Jorge Ben to Jorge Ben Jor due to copyright issues. He had lots of problems because his name was too similar to George Benson.

He would soon come back in style, capturing a new generation of fans with the 1991 song 'W/Brasil (Chama o Síndico)'. Once again Jorge was on the top of the charts, but his new records were more pop than samba-and-bossa-nova-based.

In 2002, Jorge recorded his own MTV Unplugged record and TV special, bringing his earlier songs to yet a newer audience. His concerts are usually fully booked and he is currently touring Brazil.

His hit songs include: Ive Brussel, Mais Que Nada, País Tropical, Roberto Corta Essa, Taj Mahal, Chove Chuva and O Namorado da víuva.

Sources:
http://cliquemusic.uol.com.br/br/Artistas/artistas.asp?Status=ARTISTA&nu_artista=308&xbio=1
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3888/biogr.htm

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