A pioneer in the creation of bossa nova, Laurindo Almeida was a renowned Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, won five, and was the first guitarist to receive Grammys for both classical and jazz performances. His discography encompasses hundreds of recordings over five decades. Beyond his performance and arrangements for which he was particularly well-known, Almeida composed more than 1000 separate pieces, including 200 popular songs, and his archives are housed at the U.S. Library of Congress. In 1952 Almeida formed his own publishing company, Brazilliance, which has been influential in the dissemination of Latin American music.

Some of Almeida’s most well-known compositions include “Johnny Peddler,” which became a hit record by the Andrews Sisters, as well as “Amazonia,” which was featured in performances by Stan Kenton & his orchestra. Almeida also composed complete film scores for ten motion pictures and portions for hundreds of others, including Charles and Ray Eames’s 1957 film Day of the Dead. He also underscored and performed for Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992).