Jorge Ben Jor is a Brazilian popular musician, born in Rio de Janeiro on March 22, 1942
Born Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes, he initially took the stage name Jorge Ben after his
mother's name (of origin Ethiopian), but later changed it to Jorge Ben His characteristic
style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humor and satire
with often esoteric subject matter.
The hybrid rhythms that Jorge employed when Brazilian music was split between the
rockier sounds of the Jovem Guarda and traditional samba with its complex lyrics.
As that phase in Brazilian pop music history passed, and the entire world became
captivated by bossa nova, Jorge rose to prominence. Jorge Ben's first public appearances
were in small festivals organized by his friends, where bossa nova and rock and roll
predominated. The aforementioned song, "Mas Que Nada", was his first big hit in Brazil,
and remains to this day the most played song in the USA sung entirely in Portuguese.
In 1969, Jorge Ben released his self-titled album amid the excitement of the cultural and
musical Tropicália movement. The album featured Trio Mocotó as his backing band and
who would go on to launch a successful career on the back of their association with Ben.
The album was noted for one of his most famous compositions, "País Tropical"; ironically,
it would be Wilson Simonal who would take his recording of the song to the top of the
charts in Brazil that same year.
In the 1970s, Jorge Ben released his most esoteric and experimental albums, most notably
"A Tábua de Esmeraldas" in 1974, "Solta o Paväo" in 1975 and "África Brasil" in 1976; the
latter album's track "Xica Da Silva" receiving a single release in many territories in Europe
but retitled as "Chica Da Silva" for ease of pronunciation. These three albums were not
greeted with much popular success at the time but are regarded as classics today.
The tee shirt design shows Jorge Ben in front of the Cristo Redentor is a large Art Deco-style
statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 38 m (125 feet) tall and is
located at the peak of the 710-m (2330-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest
National Park, overlooking the city...Reminds us of the teachings of Love and Wisdom...LISTEN
Price:$29.00
