Bossa Nova Pioneer Dies at 73

Sao Paulo, Brazil – Guitarist and composer Paulo Mendes Pupo Nogueira, known artistically as Paulinho Nogueira, died in Sao Paulo this week. He was one of the creators of bossa nova. He died at age 73, after suffering a heart attack.

Pablo Arthur Mendes Pupo Nogueira was born October 9 of 1929 in Campinas, São Paulo, and at a young age he showed an inclination for the arts, mainly drawing and music. In 1950, after graduating from college, he moved to São Paulo where he performed at clubs and radio stations Bandeirantes and Gazeta as a soloist. In 1959 he recorded his first LP for CBS Records.

In 1964, Nogueira received the Pinheiro de Ouroaward, granted by the Government of the State of Paran. At that time, he began to teach guitar. TV Record of São Paulo hired him for the O Fino da Bossa show and his song ‘Menino Desce Daí’ became a hit.

Nogueira published a book of harmony for guitar in 1968, which has become very popular and was reprinted 20 times. In 1969 Paulinho Nogueira invented a new 12-stringed musical instrument called craviola, with steel strings.

His song Menina became a hit in Brazil in 1970 and also reached the top of the charts in Italy and France.

In 1986 he was involved in the Tones and Halftones project, an LP of solo guitar pieces accompanied by sheet music. In 1990 he released the Violão em Harmonia video for MPO. In 1991, he produced four videos focused on solo guitar.

In the following years he recorded several CDs and became involved in the struggle to preserve a Sao Paulo park.