Producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sergio Mendes’ influence on the music industry has spanned five decades and continues to evolve through new collaborations and mediums.
One of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time, Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum, and he’s a three-time Grammy® Award winner.
In 2012 Mendes received his first Oscar® nomination in the music category for “Real In Rio” from the animated, 3-D feature film “Rio.” In addition to being the executive music producer for the blockbuster film, he also contributed five songs to the movie. The soundtrack, Rio: Music from the Motion Picture, featured re-recorded versions of his hits “Mas Que Nada” and “Valsa Carioca.” Mendes, once again, was responsible for bringing the distinctive rhythms of Brazil to a global audience.
Mendes’ iconic album: HERB ALPERT PRESENTS SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL ’66 was also inducted into the Grammy® Hall of Fame in February 2012, joining Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech, the Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main St., and others in the 2012 class of historically significant recordings.
Mendes started his career with 1961’s Dance Moderno and went on to record several instrumental albums, including “Voce Ainda Nao Ouviu Nada” with the Sextet Bossa Rio, still considered the best jazz album ever made in Brazil. From the mid-1960s to the late ’70s, Mendes established his legendary status by taking numerous albums and singles to the top of the charts. But it was Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 which sparked global stardom. Performing “The Look of Love” at the 1968 Oscars, their version went top 10, quickly followed by the hits “The Fool on the Hill” and “Scarborough Fair.” Enjoying immense popularity, Mendes added soul and funk to his jazz and pop, but always with a Brazilian rhythm. His earlier single, “Mas Que Nada,” marked the first time that a song sung entirely in Portuguese hit Billboard’s Pop chart in the U.S. Mendes’ signature mix of bossa nova/samba and his distinctive pop instrumentation features melodies with distinct sophistication and alluring sexiness that ultimately came to define Brazilian music for many music enthusiasts around the world.
In the ’80s, he scored with the No. 1 Adult Contemporary and pop top-10 hit “Never Gonna Let You Go.” And in 1992 Mendes was awarded his first Grammy® in the category of Best World Music for his album Brasileiro. Since then, Mendes has gone on to be honored with two Latin Grammy® awards for Best Brazilian Record, Timeless (2006) and Bom Tempo (2010), which was also nominated for a 2010 Grammy® award.
In 2011, Mendes released his 39th album, Celebration: A Musical Journey, which represented his 50 years as a recording artist and included classics from his career as well as new recordings with Ivete Sangalo and Siedah Garrett, among them a remake of “The Fool on the Hill.” He performed this classic at the MusiCares Gala Honoring Sir Paul McCartney.
Mendes’ innovation and versatility has enabled him to collaborate with a wide a range of artists. In 2006, his Timeless CD was a collaboration with contemporary pop, rock, urban and hip-hop artists, including Justin Timberlake, Stvie Wonder, John Legend, and Black Eyed Peas—with a re-recording of his early gem “Mas Que Nada” alongside Gracinha Leporace, Mendes’ wife. 2008’s Encanto featured neo-soulster Ledisi and Spanish-language favorite Juanes. In 2014 Magic featured John Legend singing a song co-written by Sergio and Legend himself, as well as a collaboration with Janelle Monae.
Currently, a documentary is being made about his life, directed by John Scheinfeld, who has done critically acclaimed documentaries on John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Brian Wilson, John Coltrane, among many others.
Sergio is working on his new CD, which is being recorded in Brazil and the US, and will be released by Concord and distributed all over the world by Universal and will feature several guests.
Both the documentary and the CD will be released in early 2020.
Sergio continues traveling the world with his band, bringing his still very relevant musical style to audiences around the world: US, Asia, Europe, Australia, Brazil, etc…