Who is Jorge Ben Jor?

Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes was born in Rio de Janeiro on 22 March 1945. He first took the stage name Jorge Ben after his mother's name (of Ethiopian origin) but in the 1980s he changed it to Jorge Ben Jor. His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, rock and bossa nova with lyrics that blend humour and satire with often esoteric subject matter.

Follow the Olympic Games opening ceremony with Rio2016.com

Jorge Ben's music has served as an introduction to Brazilian music to millions around the world, even if many outside of Brazil don’t know his name.A prolific singer and songwriter, Jorge's ability to mix samba, funk, bossa nova with pop music has helped him pen dozens of hits.

What song is Jorge Ben Jor best known for?

Jorge Ben wrote and performed the hit Mas Que Nada, which later became a huge hit for Sergio Mendes. Mendes’s version of the song hit the pop charts in the USA back in 1966 and later received a surge popularity in the early 2000s after being used in TV commercials and shows.

Ben also had a hit with País Tropical, which was featured in the Rio 2016 opening ceremony. The song, which later became a hit for Wilson Simonal, celebrates the country’s natural beauty.

US President Barack Obama quoted the song during a 2011 speech in Brazil, saying it was “a tropical country, blessed by God, and beautiful by nature."

Other hits include Taj Mahal, Chove Chuva, Comanche, and Ponta De Lança Africano.

What other artists are like Jorge Ben Jor?

Some of Jorge Ben’s contemporaries include legends like Simonal, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Tim Maia.