Tim Maia

From Tijuca to Polydor

Sebastiao Rodrigues Maia was born on September 28, 1942 in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, the second to last of nineteen children, according to Portuguese Wikipedia. As a child he was Tiao; Carlos Imperial suggested the stage name Tim. He got a guitar from his father at twelve and in 1957 founded the vocal group the Sputniks, which included Roberto Carlos. English Wikipedia places him in the United States from about 1959 to 1963 or 1964, singing with the Ideals and absorbing soul. He and Jorge Ben are credited with pioneering samba rock and samba funk.

His first solo single, on CBS in 1968, was "Meu Pais", and he wrote "Nao Vou Ficar" for Roberto Carlos. The self-titled debut (Polydor, 1970) includes "Azul da Cor do Mar", and he made further self-titled albums in 1971, 1972 and 1973. In 1973 he formed the publishing company Seroma, named for Sebastiao Rodrigues Maia, after royalty disputes. In 1974 he left Polydor, and RCA offered a deal reported to include a signing bonus of about $300,000 and an album self-produced through Seroma.

That album became Racional, Vol. 1, which he pressed and distributed himself via Seroma; Racional, Vol. 2 followed in 1975 or 1976 depending on the source, and Vol. 3 was released in 2011. He later tried to withdraw the records and banned reissues, and the heirs' disputes blocked them for years. He returned to secular music with the 1976 self-titled Polygram album (with "Rodesia"), Verao Carioca (1977, Som Livre), Tim Maia Disco Club (1978, Warner, with "Acenda o Farol" and "Sossego") and Reencontro (1979, EMI-Odeon). Later albums include Nuvens (1982), O Descobridor dos Sete Mares (1983), Interpreta Classicos da Bossa Nova (1990), What a Wonderful World (1997) and Amigos do Rei (1997, with Os Cariocas).

He joined the PSB in October 1997, expecting a 1998 Senate run in Rio, and died on March 15, 1998 in Niteroi, aged 55. Rolling Stone Brasil ranked him the greatest Brazilian singer of all time and ranked the first two Racional albums 17th among the 100 greatest Brazilian records in 2007. The Luaka Bop compilation Nobody Can Live Forever: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia appeared in 2012. Nelson Motta wrote Vale Tudo, the film Tim Maia came out in 2014 and a bronze statue stands in Tijuca. Tim was notorious for late or missed shows.