MPB4 (Short for Música popular brasileira 4) is a vocal and instrumental Brazilian group formed in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, in 1965, and has been active since. The group's main genres are sung samba and MPB, and they are considered among the best vocal interpretation group in Brazil.[1] They have frequently collaborated with Quarteto em Cy, Toquinho and Chico Buarque. In 2001, MPB-4 completed a 36-year career with the same formation (registered in the Brazilian edition of the Guinness Book of Records).[2]
Founding
The group was founded when the members met through the Centro Popular de Cultura (Popular Culture Center, or CPC), affiliated with the União Nacional dos Estudante (National Students Union, or UNE). The initial lineup featured Miltinho (Milton Lima dos Santos Filho, Campos dos Goytacazes, October 18, 1943), Magro (Antônio José Waghabi Filho, Itaocara, RJ, November 14, 1943 – August 8, 2012), Achilles (Achille Rique Reis, Niterói, RJ, May 22, 1948) and Ruy Faria (Ruy Alexandre Faria, Cambuci, RJ, July 31, 1937 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ, January 11, 2018). The quartet was originally known as Quarteto do CPC. With the extinction of the CPC (and of the UNE) after the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, the group adopted the name of MPB-4,
1960s and 1970s
In 1965, the band moved to São Paulo. In the city they came into contact with recently launched artists who would later achieve fame: Chico Buarque, Nara Leão, Sidney Miller, Quarteto em Cy. Their themes often included references to Brazilian culture and customs ad well as criticism of the country's political situation immersed in the military dictatorship. During this period the group also participated in many National Brazilian music festivals. The group recorded their first self-titled LP in 1966. Throughout the late 1960s they also participated in several Brazilian song festivals.
Their collaborations with Chico Buarque was one of their longest lasting. They recorded "Roda Viva" together in 1967, and traveled with him on his tours in Brazil and abroad.[3] Their partnership lasted through the mid-1970s.
MPB4 was also known for their voiceover work in Disney animated films. They provided the singing voices of the vultures in The Jungle Book, and three of the band members did the singing voices of some crows in the second dub of Dumbo.
1980s and Beyond
In 1980, the group released, together with Quarteto em Cy, the children's LP "Flicts." MPB4 recorded another children's LP in the next year, "O Pato."
In 1991, the quartet recorded Sambas da Minha Terra, dedicated to the works of Dorival Caymmi, Toquinho/Vinícius, Zé Kéti, and Ary Barroso, among others. The group commemorated their 30-year career in 1995 with the show, "Arte de Cantar" and an album of the same name.
