Benito Di Paula
1941–2026Brazilian singer, composer and pianist who became one of the most popular artists of the 1970s with his innovative percussive samba style.
Particulars
Benito Di Paula was born Uday Velloso on 28 November 1941 in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, and was raised in Rio de Janeiro. He rose to national fame in the 1970s with a distinctive style of samba built around his percussive piano playing, which he described as the work of a sambeiro and pianeiro rather than a traditional sambista. His piano-driven batucada and Brazilian swing anticipated the paulista pagode sound popularized in the 1990s by groups such as Raça Negra. He died on 18 October 2026 in São Paulo at the age of 84, following complications from cancer.
Compiled from source reports. Automated record.