Jorge Ben

Jorge Duílio Lima Meneses (born March 22, 1942 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), known as Jorge Ben or Jorge Ben Jor (changed in 1988, due to the fact that the international rights for his songs were going to George Benson), is a popular Brazilian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist.

Considered the father of samba rock and Brazilian soul and funk (the latter two with Tim Maia, who came next), rose to fame with his album Samba Esquema Novo (1963). His characteristic style has several elements, including: samba, samba rock, rock and roll, soul, funk, bossa nova, jazz, maracatu, ska and even hip-hop, with lyrics that mix romanticism, humor, alchemy, philosophy, nature, religon, history, and is sometimes reminiscent of the themes of Rio de Janeiro's samba school and football. Jorge Ben's work has a singular importance for Brazilian music, for incorporating new elements in his swing and guitar playing, with characteristics of North American rock, soul and funk. He also brought Arab and African influences from his mother, who was born in Ethiopia.