Cartola

Making and release

At age 11 he moved to Morro da Mangueira.^[3] By age 17 he was composing sambas and singing in local bars, often with Carlos Cachaça.^[1] He became popular in the 1930s but did not gain financial reward, working as a bricklayer, fishmonger and cheese-seller.^[4] In 1940 he co-hosted the radio program "A Voz do Morro" on Cruzeiro do Sul.^[5]

After a long illness and his first wife's death, he stopped composing and moved to a slum in Nilópolis.^[4] In 1956 journalist Sérgio Porto rediscovered him washing cars in Ipanema and brought him back to music.^[4][3] He opened the restaurant Zicartola with his wife Zica in the early 1960s, which became a hub for sambistas.^[3] Sebastião Joaquim de Oliveira and Aída Gomes de Oliveira had eight children, of whom he was the eldest.^[4]

The Estação Primeira de Mangueira samba school, established in 1928, had Cartola as a co-founder who proposed its green and pink color scheme.^[3]

What the cited sources add

The Dicionário Cravo Albin states that at Zicartola, Cartola composed the samba "O sol nascerá" with Elton Medeiros in about 30 minutes.^[3] That same source notes that in 1964 "O sol nascerá" was recorded by Isaura Garcia and Nara Leão.^[3] The Dicionário Cravo Albin records that Cartola released his first solo LP in 1974 at age 65, on the Marcus Pereira label.^[3] A Google Doodle account states that this 1974 LP was an instant success, winning awards and critical acclaim.^[1]

The same Google Doodle notes that Cartola held his first individual concert at age 70.^[1] The ge article reports that Fluminense football club released a special jersey honoring Cartola in 2023, featuring lyrics from "Corra e olha o céu" in his own handwriting.^[6] According to the G1 article, the 2022 Mangueira tribute to Cartola, Jamelão, and Delegado featured the enredo "Angenor, José e Laurindo".^[7]