Jorge Ben Jor

Jorge Ben Jor is a Brazilian popular musician, born in Rio de Janeiro on March 22, 1942 (some sources say 1940). His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humor and satire with often esoteric subject matter.

While he is probably best known as the composer of the Sergio Mendes hit "Mas Que Nada", his song "Taj Mahal" is recognizable (and was legally recognized in a plagiarism lawsuit) as the source of the melody in Rod Stewart's hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Some of his other hits include "Umbabarauma" (a song about one of his favorite subjects, soccer), "País Tropical", "Chove Chuva", and "W/Brasil".

Born Jorge Duilio Lima Meneses, he initally took the stage name Jorge Ben after his mother's name, but changed it in 1988 to Jorge Ben Jor (also commonly written Benjor), allegedly in response to an incident where some of his royalties had accidentally gone to guitarist George Benson.

Discography (partial)

• Samba Esquema Novo (1963)
• Ben é Samba Bom (1964)
• Sacundin Ben Samba (1964)
• Big-Ben (1965)
• Jorge Ben (1969)
• Força Bruta (1970)
• Negro é Lindo (1971)
• Ben (1972)
• A Tabua De Esmeralda (1974)
• Salta o Pavão (1972)
• África Brasil (1976)
• A Banda Do Ze Pretinho (1978)
• Ben Jor (1989)
• Live In Rio (1992)
• Acústico MTV (2002)

External links

• Official Site

References

Miguel, Antonio Carlos (2000). Guia de MPB em CD, Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar Editor. ISBN 85–7110–528–6