Accordionist, guitarist, and singer Sivuca was born Severino Dias de Oliveira in Itabaiana, Brazil on May 26, 1930. He is best known for his 1973 self-titled album that has attracted an international cult following over the years. His career as a professional musician began at the age of 15 when he moved to Pernambuco, Brazil. He released his debut album, Humberto Teixeira, in 1950, which opened up opportunities to appear on radio and television in Rio de Janeiro. After building his career in Brazil with a series of releases, he toured Europe in 1958. Expanding his musical reach, Sivuca moved to New York City, New York in 1964. He was Miriam Makeba’s musical director for several years and worked with artists such as Oscar Brown Jr., Putte Wickman, and Harry Belafonte. He also released his own albums as a leader including Golden Bossa Nova Guitar (1968), Bossa Nova (1968), Rendez-Vous a Rio (1969), and Sivuca (1973), an album that has become his most well-known release. He returned to Brazil in 1977 and continued his career as a bandleader and sideman. In the 1980s, he recorded with Scandinavian musicians including Ulf Wakenius and Sylvia Vrethammar. With an increased commercial profile in Scandinavia, he toured there in 1990. Sivuca died on December 14, 2006, from cancer. Since his death, his 1973 album Sivuca has become a cult favorite and was re-released on vinyl by Real Gone Music in 2021.
