At 90 years of age, José Bispo Clementino dos Santos, aka Jamelão, has recorded yet another chapter of the Brazilian history of popular music. . "Jamelão and guests", was released by Obi music in September. The legendary singer is experimenting, for the first time in his carreer, with a fusion of classic themes from the MPB (Brazilian Popular musci movement, started in the 60s by Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and others) with younger artists like como Djavan, Alcione and Emílio Santiago.

The production and arrangements are by maestro Lua Lafayette. The CD includes classics like "Ela Disse-me Assim" and "Matriz e Filial" by Lúcio Cardim. The cover was designed by Elifas Andreato.

But the record is only the beginning of the 90th birthday celebrations: Jamelão and Obi Music are also producing another record with the author's favourite tunes, to be released at the end of 2004.

But who is the singer who this year won for Mangueira Samba School yet another award for his samba song "Brazil com Z é Pra Cabra-da-Peste, Brasil com S é Pra Nação Nordeste"?

Jamelão was born, of humble origins, on 12 May 1913 in the São Cristóvão quarter of Rio de Janeiro.

His musical carreer started very early. At the age of 9, as a newspaper vendor, he got to know some of the musicians from Mangueira Samba School and, six years later, he joined the percussion wing of that famous institution, playing the tamborim.

Later on, he learned to play the 4 string cavaquinho and started to sing in popular dance halls known as gafieiras, being greatly influenced by Cyro Monteiro.

In 1945 he made his radio debut in the popular programme "Calouros em Desfile", directed by Ary Barroso, when he sang "Ai, que Saudades da Amélia", by Ataulfo Alves and Mário Lago.

Thus he started his carreer, singing in radio shows and night clubs, later joining Severino Araújo's Orquestra Tabajara band, who took him on a tour of Europe.

But he became famous as a samba singer achieving great success interpreting songs like "Fechei a Porta" (Sebastião Motta/ Ferreira dos Santos), "Leviana" (Zé Kéti), "Folha Morta" (Ary Barroso), "Não Põe a Mão" (P.S. Mutt/ A. Canegal/ B. Moreira), "Matriz ou Filial" (Lúcio Cardim), "Exaltação à Mangueira" (Enéas Brites/ Aluisio da Costa), "Eu Agora Sou Feliz" (with Mestre Gato), "O Samba É Bom Assim" (Norival Reis/ Helio Nascimento) e "Quem Samba Fica" (with Tião Motorista).

In the 1950s he became the first singer of the Estação Primeira de Mangueira, Rio's largest samba school, where he interpreted some of the most famous classic samba tunes and is regarded as the best known carnival singer of all times.

He was particularly fond of songs by the great samba composer Lupicínio Rodrigues like "Esses Moços", "Ela Disse-me Assim", "Torre de Babel", "Quem Há de Dizer", "Sozinha" and "Exemplo". He has recorded two albums of Lupicínio's songs with maestro Severino Araújo Orquestra Tabajara band: "Jamelão Interpreta Lupicínio Rodrigues" (1972) and "Recantando Mágoas - A Dor e Eu" (1987).

In 1997 his first retrospective collection: "Jamelão - A Voz do Samba", was released in a 3 CD box.