Eumir Deodato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eumir Deodato
Deodato in Venice, c. 1970
Background information
Birth name	Eumir Deodato de Almeida
Also known as	Deodato
Born	(1943-06-22) 22 June 1943 (age 81) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Genres	Jazz fusion smooth jazz crossover jazz bossa nova Latin jazz disco
Occupation(s)	Musician composer arranger record producer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1959–present
Labels	CTI, MCA, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Kool & the Gang John Tropea Hubert Laws

Eumir Deodato de Almeida (born June 22, 1943) is a talented Brazilian musician. He is a pianist, composer, and record producer. Deodato is famous for mixing different types of music. He blends jazz with pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, Latin, and bossa nova.

Deodato has helped create over 500 records for many famous artists. These include Frank Sinatra, Roberta Flack, and Björk. He also produced big hits for Kool & the Gang, like "Celebration" and "Ladies' Night."

He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. In 1974, he won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. This was for his song "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)." This song was very popular, reaching number 2 on the US charts in 1973.

About Eumir Deodato

Eumir Deodato was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 22, 1943. He started playing music when he was young. At age 12, he played the accordion. Two years later, he began playing the piano. He also learned how to write music for orchestras and lead musicians.

In his early career, he played bossa nova music. He was part of bands with other musicians. Later, he started his own band.

Deodato's Music Career

Becoming a Recording Artist

Deodato often plays the Fender Rhodes electric piano. He became well-known as a keyboard player in the 1970s. Since then, he has produced and arranged music for more than 500 albums. Many of these albums have sold millions of copies. He worked with artists like Kool & the Gang, Björk, and k.d. lang.

His first album released in the U.S. was Prelude in 1973. A song from this album, Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001), became a huge hit. This album mixed different music styles, which many people enjoyed. It sold 5 million copies around the world. Deodato won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for this song in 1974. He was also nominated for Best New Artist.

His next album, Deodato 2, also did well. It reached number 19 on the Billboard album chart. The song "Rhapsody in Blue" from this album was also a hit. His version of Pavane pour une infante défunte by Maurice Ravel was used as background music on Australian TV in the 1970s.

In 1978, his song "Whistle Bump" from the album Love Island became popular. It even encouraged people to use whistles in nightclubs! In 1979, his song Night Cruiser earned him another Grammy nomination. Deodato continued to make music throughout the 1980s. In 1985, two of his songs, "S.O.S., Fire in the Sky" and "Are You For Real", were popular on the Dance chart.

In 2011, he released the album The Crossing. He worked with Lino Nicolosi and Pino Nicolosi on this album. It featured guest singer Al Jarreau.

Arranging and Producing Music

Since the 1960s, Deodato has been a very popular producer and arranger. He has worked on over 500 albums. Fifteen of these albums have sold enough copies to be called "platinum."

In the early 1960s, he wrote music arrangements for many Brazilian artists. He also created his own first album, Inútil Paisagem, in 1964. This album was a tribute to the music of Antônio Carlos Jobim. Jobim himself praised Deodato's work on the album. Deodato is also known for helping start the career of Milton Nascimento.

In 1967, Deodato moved to New York City. There, he worked with guitarist Luiz Bonfá. Bonfá introduced him to singer Astrud Gilberto and producer Creed Taylor. Taylor later hired Deodato to write arrangements for many musicians at CTI Records.

Deodato has worked with many famous musicians. He recorded with Frank Sinatra and Roberta Flack. He also produced four very successful albums for Kool & the Gang between 1979 and 1982. He worked with Icelandic singer Björk from 1996 to 1998. He arranged her albums Post, Telegram, and Homogenic.

Deodato has also written music for films. These include The Gentle Rain (1965), The Black Pearl (1977), and The Onion Field (1979). He also produced and arranged music for the movies "Body Rock" and "Ghostbusters II."

Family Life

Eumir Deodato was married to Ruth Deodato from 1963 to 1999. Their daughter, Kennya Deodato, was born in 1968. Kennya is married to actor Stephen Baldwin. Their granddaughter is Hailey Bieber, who is married to Canadian singer Justin Bieber.

Albums and Songs

Albums

Here is a list of albums Deodato has released:

Collaborations (As Sideman)

Deodato has played on many albums for other artists. Here are some of them:

Singles

Here are some of the popular songs (singles) Deodato has released:

See also

In Spanish: Eumir Deodato para niños