João do Vale is a singular poet. His lyrics, which reflect his profound understanding of the sertaneja (inlander) soul, are full of a very personal notion of rhythm. The strength of his work has made him one of the three great figures of Northwestern popular music (the others being Luíz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro), even though he only recorded two albums.

Working as a truck-driver's assistant to help his very poor family, he traveled through the Northwestern inland knowing the humble people and their lives. This profound identification with his roots would forge his philosophy of life, and his natural talent would do the rest, with no help from formal education. He wanted to stay at school, but being Black and poor, he suffered the consequences of racial and social prejudice and had to abandon his studies very early.

At 12, his family moved to São Luís, where he joined a bumba-meu-boi group, writing lyrics for their songs. Dreaming about living in Rio, finally reached his destination in 1950 at the age of 17. He worked as a mason's assistant while listening to radio stations at night, searching for an opportunity. He succeeded in approaching Zé Gonzaga. Initially reluctant, Gonzaga would become an admirer, and record do Vale's "Cesário Pinto, a big hit in Northwest. Luíz Vieira was also an admirer; he composed "Estrela Miúda" with do Vale and convinced singer Marlene to record it -- all due to do Vale's serendipitous arrival in Rio and his remarkable songwriting abilities. Do Vale's songs have been recorded by other great artists such as Luís Vieira himself, Dolores Duran, Luíz Gonzaga, and Maria Inês.

In 1954, he appeared in the movie Mão Sangrenta, directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen. He met future director Roberto Farias, who would later commission do Vale to write for his movies' soundtracks including No Mundo da Lua (1958). Do Vale was soon composing for the movies, including for Mozael Silveira's #Meu nome é Lampião in 1955. In 1956, his composition with Luís Vieira, "Na Asa do Vento," was recorded by Dolores Duran.

His plethora of collaborations with Luíz Gonzaga (known as "O Rei do Baião" or "The King of Baião") produced "Sertanejo do Norte" (1959), "De Terezina a São Luís" (1962), "Pra Onde Tu Vai, baião?" (1963), and "Fogo no Paraná" (1964). Due to publishing contracts, however, Gonzaga's name couldn't appear in the credits, so he substituted his wife's name, Helena Gonzaga.

In 1964, the club ZiCartola was at its most popular, and sambista Zé Keti met do Vale and asked him to perform there. Do Vale's performances were highly acclaimed, and proved fundamental in introducing him to the populace at large, whose adoration cemented his reputation. Soon he'd be invited by Oduvaldo Viana Filho to join the performance Opinião (1964), a show of resistance against the ruling dictatorship.

Nara Leão, João do Vale, Paulo Pontes, Filho, and Armando Costa would gather at poet Ferreira Gullar's home; its aim was to highlight the works of very different musicians (Zé Keti, a urban sambista composer; João do Vale, a Northwestern composer, and Nara Leão, a medium-classed singer) and protest the military dictatorship. They made Opinião and the musical's success marked an epoch in popular music. It also introduced singer Maria Bethânia (Caetano Veloso's sister), who sang do Vale's "Carcará."

Opinião was such a tremendous success that the Philips label signed do Vale to record his first solo LP, Poeta do povo. Two years later, Philips issued a double-LP containing some do Vale collaborations: "Eu chego lá" (with Abel Silva), "Sanharó" (with Luís Guimarães), "Eu vim praí (with Manoel Euzébio), and "Viva meu baião (with Vezo Filho).

By then a renowned composer, do Vale's songs appeared on Nelson Cavaquinho and Moreira da Silva's A voz do povo (1966), Eu chego lá (1967); Chiclete com banana (1972); Se eu tivesse meu mundo, Opinião (1975), and E agora, João? (1976).

Do Vale recorded his second LP, João do Vale, in 1981. Famous artists joined the project to affirm their (political) support and their admiration for the great composer: Chico Buarque, Nara Leão, Fagner, Alceu Valença, Zé Ramalho, Tom Jobim, Amelinha, Gonzaguinha, Clara Nunes, Hermeto Pascoal, and Jackson do Pandeiro among them.

In 1982, do Vale record his second LP, with Chico Buarque. Chico would pay another tribute to do Vale with his own João Batista do Vale CD, awarded the Prêmio Sharp as the Best Regional Record.

Having lived for more than 30 years in the city of Rio, do Vale never abandoned the rich sonorities evocative of sertão. He performed a revolutionary task and fused the urban samba with the Northwestern baião, with great artistic success. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi