Alceu Valença is a successful Brazilian singer/songwriter and the creator of a distinctive musical style that mixes his northeastern roots (São Bento do Una, in the state of Pernambuco) and contemporary MPB grooves. He is also an energetic, even mesmerizing live performer. His songs have been recorded by several major artists, including Luiz Gonzaga (with whom he wrote "Plano Piloto"), Maria Bethânia, and Elba Ramalho. His life was depicted in Anamelia Maciel's book Alceu Valença em Frente e Verso.
The son of a locally renowned lawyer, Valença always worried his father with his rebellious character. At five he participated in a music contest, singing a song by Capiba. At 11, his mother took ill and his family moved to Recife. During this period, Valença became interested in the acoustic guitar and viola. However, he didn't get one for a few years -- he won an instrument during a song competition when he was 15. In 1965 he began a long period of attending law school in Recife with several interruptions. Three years later he began his musical career with the group Tamarineira Village. He also played with Zé Ramalho and Elba Ramalho during this period. While attending law school, he took part in an essay competition that offered a three-month course at Harvard University as its first prize. Without knowing a word of English, he drafted an essay comparing Marxism to the Catholic Church and pointed poetically at the contradictions of political ideologies in vogue. He won. During his Harvard period, he played his political songs in coffee houses when not studying. He was profiled by the student newspaper, which referred to him as the "Brazilian Bob Dylan." After returning to Brazil, he graduated but never practiced law. + more info AMG.
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