When talking about bossa nova, perhaps the signature pop music sound of Brazil, frequently the first name to come to one's lips is that of Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim. With songs like "The Girls From Ipanema" and "Desafindo," Jobim pretty much set the standard for the creation of the bossa nova in the mid-50s. However, as is often the case, others come along and take the genre in a new direction, reinventing through radical reinterpretation be it lyrically, rhythmically, or in live performance, making the music theirs. And if Jobim gets credit for laying the foundation of bossa nova, than the genre was brilliantly reimagined (and, arguably, defined) by the singer/songwriter and guitarist Joao Gilberto. In his native country he is called O Mito (The Legend), a deserving nickname, for since he began recording in late 1950s Gilberto, with his signature soft, near-whispering, croon, has set a standard few have equaled.

Born in 1931 in Juazeiro in the northeastern section of Brazil known as Bahia, Gilberto seemed obsessed with music almost from the moment he emerged from the womb. His grandfather bought him his first guitar at age 14 (much to the dismay of Joao's father). Within a year, the result of near constant practicing, he was the leader of a band made up of school friends. During this time Gilberto was absorbing the rhythmic subtlety of the Brazilian pop songs of the day, while also taking in the rich sounds of swing jazz (Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey), as well as the light opera singing of Jeanette MacDonald. At 18, Gilberto gave up on his small town life and headed to Bahia's largest city, Salvador, to get a foothold in the music industry performing on live radio shows. Although he was given the opportunity to sing, instant stardom was not in the offing, but his brief appearances on the radio brought him to the attention of Antonio Maria who wanted Gilberto to become the lead singer for the popular radio band Garotos da Lua (Boys From the Moon) and moved to Rio de Janiero.

Gilberto stayed in the band only a year. He was fired after the rest of the group could take no more of his lackadaisical attitude. Gilberto was frequently late for rehearsals and performances, and in a move reminiscent of American pop star Sly Stone, would occasionally not show up at all. After his dismissal from the group Gilberto lived a semi-nomadic life. For years he had no fixed address drifting drifted from friend to friend and acquaintance to acquaintance living off their kindness rarely if ever contributing to the household expenses. Evidently Gilberto was such charming company that his emotional carelessness and fiscal apathy was never an issue -- that and he had extremely patient and generous friends. It was during this underachieving bohemian period that Gilberto kept an extremely low profile. Instead of using his time with Garotos da Luna as a springboard for other recording and performing possibilities, he became apathetic, constantly smoking large quantities of marijuana, playing the odd club gig, and refusing work he considered beneath him (this included gigs at clubs where people talked during the performance). Although gifted with considerable talent as a singer and guitar player, it seemed as though Gilberto would fail to attain the success and notoriety he deserved if only due to apathy that verged on lethargy.

After nearly a decade of aimlessness Gilberto joined forces with singer Luis Telles who encouraged Gilberto to leave Rio for a semi-bucolic life in the city of Porto Alegre. Telles, who functioned as a combination public relations guru and sugar daddy, made sure the demanding Gilberto wanted for nothing and would concentrate on his music. It turned out to be a successful, if expensive strategy. Within a few months Gilberto (who at this point had given up his prodigious hemp consumption and was now partaking in nothing stronger than fruit juice) was the toast of Porto Alegre, the musician everyone wanted to see. It was also during this extended apprenticeship that Gilberto perfected his unique vocal style and guitar playing. So breathy and nasally it is almost defies description, in many ways he uses all the things one is taught not to do as a singer and has made them into an instantly recognizable style. Not even established crooners such as Bing Crosby and Perry Como sang more quietly or with less vibrato. This, along with his rhythmically idiosyncratic approach to playing the guitar -- an intensely syncopated plucking of the strings that flowed with his singing -- made for some exhilarating music and by the time of his first record, Chega de Saudade (1959), Gilberto became widely known as the man who made bossa nova what it is.