Joao Gilberto is considered the creator of Bossanova. On the rhythm of his guitar a new "beat" was born. He invented a new style of playing and singing, with a minimum of volume and a maximum of mood. The tipical samba beat, which usually requires an entire section of percussionists, is all condensed into the alternate movements of Joao's fingers.

Maybe the coolest guys to ever have walked the face of the planet, guitarist and vocalist Joao Gilberto sauntered into international celebrity during the late 1950s, whispering his lyrics and slowing the samba down to match his unique style of syncopated acoustic guitar.

Above all, Joao Gilberto was cool, embodying an ultrasuave hipness which put to shame all the U.S. beatniks and jazz cats of the time. When Joao met up with songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim, they recorded the song "Chega de Saudade," and bossa nova was born. Within the first few years of his recording career, Gilberto became a household word, especially after jazz saxophonist Stan Getz adopted bossa nova as his signature sound, and recorded with Joao and his wife Astrud Gilberto. These albums created a huge craze for bossa nova-flavored jazz.

Gilberto is one of the guiding lights of Brazilian pop, idolized over the years by generations of other artists such as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Over the years, he has remained one of the most unusually consistent of the Brazilian superstars. Seldom do his records suffer; more often than not, they simply soar.