Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Mendes is a singer/songwriter and composer who weaves jazz and funk elements into his bossa nova music. As the jazz and samba fusion known as bossa nova began to emerge in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mendes found himself playing nightclubs with jazz figureheads including Antonio Carlos Jobim, who became a mentor of his. He has since toured the world as the front man of groups including Sexteto Bossa Rio, Sergio Mendes Trio and most notably Brasil '66, which produced one of his most renowned records, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. His extensive discography is a testament to his lucrative career as well as his contributions to the bossa nova genre.
