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• Gilberto Gil is a Brazilian musician, songwriter, activist and politician. Along with his countrymen Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa, he was a pioneer of Brazil's Tropicalia movement. He was appointed Brazil's Minister of Culture in 2003 and resigned in 2008 to focus on his music.allmusic: Gilberto Gil Biography

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Gilberto Passos Gil Moreiraallmusic: Gilberto Gil Biography
  2. Born: June 26, 1942Last.fm: Gilberto Gil Biography
  3. Genre: LatinAOL Music: Gilberto Gil Biography
  4. Origin: BrazilAOL Music: Gilberto Gil Biography
  5. Styles: Tropicalia, Brazilian pop, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira)allmusic: Gilberto Gil Biography
  6. Instruments: Guitar, vocalsallmusic: Gilberto Gil Biography
  7. Active: Late 1950's- presentARTISTdirect: Roberto Gil Biography
  8. Albums: 50 (as of 2008)AOL Music: Gilberto Gil Albums
  9. Labels: Universal, Phillips, Atlantic and moreAOL Music: Gilberto Gil Albums
  10. Grammy Awards: 2allmusic: Gilberto Gil Awards

• Musical Career

  Gil began recording in 1966. During the seventies, he recorded for a number of Brazilian record companies. He toured Brazil in 1980 with Jimmy Cliff; they made a record that sold about 700,000 copies. During the eighties, he performed at a number of jazz clubs in the United States. Gil has continued to record, releasing 50 albums by the end of 2008.ARTISTdirect: Roberto Gil Biography

• Political Career

  Gil has been politically active throughout his life. He and Caetano Veloso were arrested in 1969 by the military dictatorship that was in power at the time. He was freed when he agreed to leave the country, which resulted in his exile to London for three years.BBC NEWS: Brazil Musician Leaves Government (July 31, 2008)

  As Minister of Culture, he was a strong advocate for loosening of intellectual property laws and for providing technology to all citizens in order to encourage collaboration and creativity. One of his achievements was establishing 650 "hot spots" around the country which have computers, and software available for free public use.CNET News: Brazil's Minister of Culture Calls for Free Digital Society (September 27, 2007)

• Partial Discography

  • 1972: Expresso 2222
  • 1977: Rafavela
  • 1988: O Sol de Oslo
  • 2006: Quanta
  • 2007: Duos

• Quotes

  ""I think we are moving rapidly toward the obsolescence and eventual disappearance of a single traditional model (of copyright protection) and its replacement by others that are hybrids...My personal view is that digital culture brings with it a new idea of intellectual property, and that this new culture of sharing can and should inform government policies."International Herald Tribune: Gilberto Gil and the Politics of Music (March 6, 2007)

  ""Today's digital technologies represent a fantastic opportunity for democratizing access to knowledge...We have found that the appropriation of digital technology can be an incredible upgrade in skills of political self-management and the local political process.""CNET News: Brazil's Minister of Culture Calls for Free Digital Society (September 27, 2007)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Brazil | Os Mutantes | Caetano Veloso | Stan Getz | Jimmy Cliff

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