Chico Buarque turns 80 next Wednesday (19). One of the biggest names in Brazilian Popular Music, the artist was a cultural highlight in Brazil, with a 58-year career.
Over five decades, Chico Buarque composed hundreds of songs. According to his official website, his songs have been recorded on more than 40 albums, including solo projects, in partnership with other artists, interpretations of his work by other musicians and live recordings and collections.
Discover Chico Buarque’s discography
Chico gained prominence on the music scene with his first studio album, released in 1966. Titled “Chico Buarque de Hollanda” the album even earned the artist a prize at the Brazilian Popular Music Festival with the song “The band” .
The aesthetics of the first project even went viral and circulate on social media to this day in the form of a meme. This is because the cover photo features two images, side by side, of the singer serious and smiling.
According to Chico, this happened because the record company wanted a photo of him smiling, but he wanted to be serious — and they couldn’t reach an agreement.
In the following years, the musician released other albums that also bear his name. “Chico Buarque de Hollanda – vol. 2”, in 1967, “Chico Buarque de Hollanda” and “Chico Buarque de Hollanda – vol. 3”, from 1968 and “Chico Buarque na Itália” and the LP (compact disc) with Sérgio Bardotti, “Chico Buarque de Holanda self-titled, in 1969.
Other compact discs were released by Buarque. This was the case with works such as “Umas e others” (1969) and “Apesar de Você” (1970).
In 1976, Chico won his first gold record, meaning he was well received by the public. To reach this milestone, artists need to sell more than 41 thousand physical copies. Entitled “Meus Caros Amigos”, the album features the participation of Milton Nascimento on the track “O Que SER? (A Flor da Terra)” and also features several songs composed by Chico for plays and films, such as “A Noiva da Cidade”, from the film of the same name.
Other albums by the musician that are gold records are “Chico Buarque” (1978), which brought up big issues from the time when Chico protested against the military regime in songs like “Cálice” and “Apesar de Você”; “Paratodos” (1993) and “As Cidades” (1998).
In 1977, Chico released a children’s album, “Os Saltimbancos”, with songs composed and arranged by Argentine composer Luis Enríquez Bacalov, and re-recorded in Portuguese by the Brazilian musician.
The last album released by Chico Buarque was “Caravanas”, in 2017. The album’s single was “Tua Cantiga”, which became the artist’s third most played song on digital platforms.
See Chico Buarque’s complete discography
- 1966: Chico Buarque de Hollanda
- 1967: Chico Buarque de Hollanda vol. two
- 1968: Chico Buarque de Hollanda vol. 3
- 1969: Chico Buarque in Italy
- 1970: Per un Pugno di Samba
- 1970: Despite You
- 1970: Chico Buarque de Hollanda – Nº4
- 1971: Construction
- 1972: Caetano and Chico Together and Live
- 1972: When Carnival Arrives
- 1973: “Calabar”
- 1974: “Closed Signal”
- 1975: Chico Buarque & Maria Bethânia Live
- 1976: My Dear Friends
- 1977: Drop of Water
- 1977: Os Saltimbancos
- 1978: Chico Buarque
- 1979: Opera do Malandro
- 1980: May 1st Show
- 1980: Life
- 1981: Almanac
- 1981: Saltimbancos Trapalhões
- 1982: Chico Buarque in Spanish
- 1983: To Live a Great Love
- 1983: The Great Mystical Circus
- 1984: Chico Buarque
- 1985: The King’s Corsair
- 1985: Trickster
- 1985: Opera do Malandro
- 1986: Best Moments of Chico & Caetano
- 1987: Francisco
- 1988: Half Moon Dance
- 1989: Chico Buarque
- 1990: Chico Buarque live Paris Le Zenith
- 1993: Paratodos
- 1995: A Word
- 1997: Earth
- 1998: The Cities
- 1999: Chico live
- 2001: Cambaio
- 2006: Rio
- 2007: Carioca Live
- 2011: Chico
- 2012: Na Carreira – Live
- 2017: Caravans
- 2018: Caravans – Live
Source: CNN Brasil

I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.