Joćo Gilberto was born in Juazeiro, Bahia, in 1931 and moved to Rio de Janeiro when he was 18. He was then a soloist of the vocal group Garotos da Lua (Boys from the Moon) and also worked as an accompaniment guitar player. In this last function he also participated of the record "Canēćo do amor demais" (Song of too much love), by Elisete Cardoso, where he launched the bossa nova style of accompaniment, marked by the accent on the weak tempos and the alteration of the chords.

Next, by recording his first records (1958-60), he consolidated the bossa nova way of singing, characterized by containment and intimacy contrasting with the style of the time. In these he made the principal composers - like Tom Jobim and Carlos Lyra - and the first classics of the new genre: "Chega de Saudade" (Enough Saudade), "Desafinado" (Out of tune), "Lobo bobo" (Silly wolf) and "Samba de uma nota só" (Samba of one note only) popular.

After the success of the Bossa nova show at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1962, Joćo Gilberto made a record with the sax player Stan Getz which gave him six Grammies (1964). He then became one of the most respected interpreters and guitar players of the world and had a long career abroad, only returning to Brazil in the 70's.

The transformation achieved by Joćo Gilberto in the art of singing and guitar-playing is the most radical ever made by any singer-musician in Brazil. With the same invention with which he interprets classics of the bossa nova, he profoundly recreates songs from before and after the movement.