Jair Rodrigues

Who is Jair Rodrigues?

Jair Rodrigues de Oliveira is a Brazilian musician and singer, a pioneer of the funk in the country. He is the father of Luciana Mello and Jair Oliveira, who also followed in his footsteps and became musicians.

Jair Rodrigues grew up in Nova Europa, a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, where he lived until 1954. Thereafter he moved with his family to São Carlos, where he started his musical career, as the city had the best nightlife in the region.

His career began when he crooned in São Carlos during the mid-to-late-1950s. He also participated in various functions with Radio São Carlos.

In 1958, Jair joined the São Carlos military reserve. At the start of the 1960s, he gained popularity in the state capital as a singer on various television programs for new musical talent. In 1965, he and Elis Regina successfully sang together on "O Fino da Bossa", a television program on TV Record.

In 1966 Jair sang at the "Record Festival" with the song "Disparada" by Geraldo Vandré and Théo de Barros, this time in conjunction with Quarteto Novo. Known for singing sambas, Jair surprised the audience with a beautiful interpretation of the song. "Disparada" and Chico Buarque's "Banda", sung by Nara Leao, were the favorites. The competition ended in a draw. From that moment on, his career took off and his talent experienced decades of success. Jair released an album a year and performed hits such as O Menino da Porteira, Boi da Cara Preta e Majestade o Sabiá. He has toured Europe, the United States and Japan. In 1971, he recorded the samba-enredo Festa para um Rei Negro for GRES Acadêmicos do Salgueiro from Rio de Janeiro.