Cartola's 115th Birthday

Today’s storybook Doodle celebrates Cartola, a Brazilian composer, poet, and singer who became known throughout the country as a master of samba. On this day in 1908, he was born in Rio de Janeiro with the name Angenor de Oliveira.

Cartola grew up interested in music; he watched his father strum the guitar and cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele), loved samba at Carnival, and learned to play his dad’s instruments. At a young age, he had to work jobs to help support his family — he was a painter, mason, bricklayer, and construction worker. This is where he got the nickname Cartola, because of the bowler hat he wore to keep cement out of his hair.

By age 17, Cartola was composing sambas and singing in local bars, often with Carlos Cachaça, a lifelong music collaborator and friend he met in Morro da Mangueira. A few other musicians joined the pair in 1928 and founded one of the first samba schools in Rio, the Estação Primeira  de Mangueira, where Cartola was the director of harmony. In addition to teaching music, great performers sang his sambas, and he gained popularity in 1932 with the hit Divina Dama. Cartola showcased the poetic language and emotion of samba on the radio program A Voz do Morro, at Carnival, and through his famous songs Não Quero Mais, Sim, and O Sol Nascerá.

He took a short break from music before meeting his future wife Zica, who encouraged him to pursue his passion again. She was a well-known cook, and together they ran Zicartola, a samba house and restaurant that became a hub for composers and dancers. 

Cartola didn't release his own LP until 1974 — but it was an instant success, immediately winning awards and critical acclaim. Three more LPs came soon after, with standout As Rosas Não Falam which was chosen as a soap opera soundtrack. The sambista had his first individual concert at age 70 and would perform and compose for the rest of his life. His legacy lives on as current musicians play and record his works today.

Happy birthday, Cartola!