Martinho da Vila

Vila Isabel

Martinho José Ferreira was born on February 12, 1938 in Duas Barras, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and moved to the city of Rio at four. His stage name comes from the Vila Isabel neighborhood, home of the samba school Unidos de Vila Isabel. Before music he worked as an assistant to an industrial chemist, then as a clerk and accountant and an administrative sergeant in the Army, and he left the Army in 1970 to become a professional musician. He debuted at the III Festival da Record in 1967 with "Menina Moça" and broke through at the IV Festival with "Casa de Bamba" in 1968. His debut album Martinho da Vila (RCA Victor, 1969) included "O Pequeno Burguês", "Quem É do Mar Não Enjoa" and "Pra Que Dinheiro".

He wrote eleven sambas-enredo for Vila Isabel, per Brazil Journal; "Kizomba, Festa da Raça" won the school the Special Group title in 1988. Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso (1995) made him the first samba artist to sell over a million copies on English Wikipedia and Sounds and Colours, though Portuguese Wikipedia says second. Later records include Lusofonia (2000), Brasilatinidade (2005, Latin Grammy), O Pequeno Burguês ao vivo (2008), Poeta da Cidade (2010, songs of Noel Rosa), Enredo (2014), De Bem com a Vida (2016), Negra Ópera (2023) and Violões e Cavaquinhos (2024). The count of his Latin Grammys varies, four on Portuguese Wikipedia and three in another summary. The Latin Recording Academy gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

He has played the Montreux Jazz Festival at least four times by 2016, performed "Carinhoso" at the Rio Olympics closing ceremony that year, and has published 13 books and sits in the Academia Carioca de Letras. Honorary doctorates came from UFRJ in 2017, Zumbi dos Palmares in 2022 and UFS in 2023. A joint tour with Mart'nalia called Pai e Filha was announced for 30 dates from May 30, 2026.