Sergio Mendes was a Brazilian musician best known for songs like “Mas Que Nada” and “The Look of Love,” which helped bring bossa nova and samba music to the U.S. charts.
- Died: September 5, 2024 (Who else died on September 5?)
- Details of death: Died of complications from long COVID in Los Angeles at the age of 83.
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Sergio Mendes’ legacy
Brazilian-born Sergio Mendes studied piano from an early age with the hopes of becoming a musician. Initially focused on classical music, he soon became enamored with jazz and the then-new genre of bossa nova, a jazz-infused take on samba music. After touring there in 1961, he decided to move to the United States in 1964, where he began to cut albums for Capitol and Atlantic.
Record sales were low, however, so management at Atlantic suggested Mendes’ group record and perform in English in addition to Portuguese. The group Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 was born – and with it, the bandleaders’ stardom. Their first album, “Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66,” went platinum on the strength of their Jorge Ben cover, “Mas que Nada.” The late 1960s’ charts were dotted with the band’s hits, often samba-inspired takes on songs by western artists such as “The Fool on the Hill” (The Beatles), “The Look of Love” (Dusty Springfield), and the English ballad “Scarborough Fair.”
After a slow 1970s, Mendes once again found success in the ‘80s, enjoying a big hit with “Never Gonna Let You Go,” which went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent four weeks on top of the Adult Contemporary charts. In 1992, his album “Brasileiro” won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. Twenty years later, Mendes’ co-written track, “Real in Rio,” was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar in 2012. He continued to tour into the 2020s.
All told, Mendes recorded over 40 albums and dozens of singles, resulting in six Grammy nominations, five Latin Grammy Award nominations, and widespread recognition as the musician who helped popularize bossa nova in the United States. An acclaimed 2020 documentary, “Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy,” chronicles his life and music.
Tributes to Sergio Mendes
Full obituary: The New York Times
