Zeca Baleiro

Hailing from the state of Maranhão, in northeastern Brazil, Zeca – short for José – grew up with music. He then went to a university to study Agronomy and was given the nickname "Baleiro" ("candyman"), because of his love for candy. His first two records, Por Onde Andará Stephen Fry and Vô Imbolá, won gold status. The title track on Por Onde Andará Stephen Fry? (Where could Stephen Fry be?) was a reference to British actor Stephen Fry's flight from the stage play Cell Mates in 1995, when he disappeared from the United Kingdom after bad reviews. Zeca won the 2000 Latin Grammys for "best pop album". In 2014, his live album Calma Aí, Coração - Ao Vivo was nominated for the same award, but in the Best Música Popular Brasileira Album category, with the title song being nominated for the Best Brazilian Song category. He currently resides in São Paulo. In 2019, he received another Latin Grammy nomination for Best MPB Album, this time for O Amor no Caos. In 2021, he received another nomination in the same category, this time for the album Canções d'Além Mar. His album Ao Arrepio da Lei, in collaboration with Chico César, was included in the list of 50 best albums of 2024 by the São Paulo Art Critics Association.

• Name — Zeca Baleiro • Birth Name — José Ribamar Coelho Santos • Born — 11 April 1966 • Birthplace — São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil • Died — YYYY MM DD • Genre — MPB Samba Brazilian rock • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Singing, acoustic guitar • Years Active — 1997-present • Label — Som Livre