Germano Mathias was born on June 2, 1934, in São Paulo, Brazil. He began his musical journey studying drums at the Rosas Negras School of Samba. Mathias launched his career in 1955 after winning a radio contest for new music artists, "À procura de um astro" ("Looking for a star"), which secured him a contract with Radio Tupi. His breakthrough came with the hit "Minha nega na janela", leading to success both as a singer and composer. Mathias' career resurged in the late 1970s when Gilberto Gil recorded several of his compositions, leading to the rediscovery and re-release of many of his earlier works. Notable albums include Germano Matias, o sambista diferente (1957) and O Catedrático do Samba (1968). In 2021, the tribute album #PartiuZePelintra – Tributo a Germano Mathias was released. Mathias passed away on February 22, 2023, at the age of 88, from complications of pneumonia.
