Luiz Melodia

Luiz Carlos dos Santos (7 January 1951 – 4 August 2017), more commonly known as Luiz Melodia, was a Brazilian actor, singer and songwriter of MPB, rock, blues, soul and samba.

Son of samba artist and songwriter Oswaldo Melodia (from whom he inherited his stage name), he grew up in the slum district of São Carlos, in the neighbourhood of Estácio, often referred to as the "Cradle of Samba".Since 1977, he has been married to singer, songwriter and producer Jane Reis and is the father of rap artist Mahal Reis (1980).His first LP, Pérola Negra, was released in 1973.He reached the finals of the Festival Abertura musical competition, hosted by Rede Globo, with his track "Ébano". Over the last few decades, Melodia released a number of albums and performed extensively in Brazil and Europe.In 1987, he played in Châteauvallon, France, and in Bern, Switzerland.In 1992, he performed at the III Folcalquier Music Festival, in France, and, in 2004, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, on the banks of Lake Geneva, where he appeared at the Stravinsky Auditorium. He performed in a number of European countries, including Germany, the UK, Denmark, France, Switzerland and Portugal. He played on the fourth solo album by Titãs member Sérgio Britto, released in September 2011 (Purabossanova). In 2015, Melodia won the 26th Brazilian Music Award for Best MPB Artist.