The Banda Black Rio was formed in 1976 by the late Oberdan (Oberdan Magalhães). Characterized by a sound in which rhythm & blues served as the vehicle for danceable variations incorporating the gafieira style, samba, and jazz, the band had in its variable formation, the trumpeter José Carlos Barroso, drummer Luís Carlos dos Santos, keyboardist Jorge Valdir Barreto, guitarist Cláudio Stevenson Jorge, and bassist Valdecir Ney Machado, among others. Their first hit was the samba-funk "Maria Fumaça," released in the eponymous LP (WEA, 1977). The song was the theme of the soap opera Loco-Motivas (TV Globo). Recording originals and versions for songs like "Na Baixa do Sapateiro" (Ary Barroso) and "Casa Forte" (Edu Lobo), they were compared in the specialized press to other soul-funk bands like Kool and the Gang and Earth, Wind and Fire, having success in England's dance houses in the late '90s. The band recorded two more LPs -- Gafieira universal (RCA,1978) and Saci Pererê (RCA 1980) -- until 1980, when they dissolved. In 1999, the Banda Black Rio resumed activities with a new formation led by Oberdan's son William Magalhães. ~ Alvaro Neder