Born José Gomes Filho, in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country, Jackson do Pandeiro's mother, Flora Mourão, was a musician and singer who played several percussion instruments.
As a child he had originally wanted to play the accordion, but his parents could not afford it and bought him a pandeiro, a type of tambourine, in its place. He began playing music with the zabumba, however, in order to assist his mother in performances. When Jackson was 13 years old his family moved to Campina Grande, a city in Paraíba. After the move, Jackson lived in João Pessoa, where he performed in various cabarets and on the radio; and also to Recife, where he eventually began working in a radio station and took the pseudonym of Jackson do Pandeiro. Originally his mother had nicknamed him "Jack", after the actor Jack Perry, who played parts in cowboy films which were popular in Brazil during Jackson's youth. He had his first hit with "Sebastiana", a song based on traditional Brazilian rhythms.
The single was followed by a number of albums that were successful with audiences throughout Brazil. Soon after, he joined his future wife Almira Castilhos de Albuquerque on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, financed by his recent success. The two had been performing in a duo together and were eventually married in October 1954. However, the duo and marriage were jointly ended in 1967, and Jackson's popularity diminished soon after. Jackson did find some greater success later, though, when the popular singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil, as well as the singer Gal Costa, recorded some of his material in 1972.
Discography
1954: Sua Majestade - o Rei do Ritmo
1955: Jackson do Pandeiro
1956: Forró do Jackson
1957: Jackson e Almira - Os Donos do Ritmo
1958: Forró do Jackson
1959: Jackson do Pandeiro
1960: Cantando de Norte a Sul
1961: Ritmo, Melodia e a Personalidade de Jackson do Pandeiro
1961: Mais Ritmo
1962: A Alegria da Casa
1962: ...É Batucada!
1963: Forró do Zé Lagoa
1964: Tem Jabaculê
1964: Coisas Nossas
1965: ...E Vamos Nós!
1966: O Cabra da Peste
1967: A Braza do Norte
1970: Aqui Tô Eu
1971: O Dono do Forró
1972: Sina de Cigarra
1973: Tem Mulher, Tô Lá
1974: Nossas Raízes
1975: A Tuba da Muié
1976: É Sucesso
1977: Um Nordestino Alegre
1978: Alegria Minha Gente
1980: São João Autêntico de Jackson do Pandeiro
1981: Isso é que é Forró!
Forró na Gafieira
Jackson do Pandeiro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gostei daquela brincadeira e a semana inteira eu fiquei por lá
Um moreno disse venha cá entre na dança que a casa é minha
Eu peguei logo uma escurinha
E mandei passo de côco que foi um chuá - Bis
O dono da casa parou a orquestra
dizendo assim olhe aqui pau de arara
Se a aula não for cara eu quero uma lição
Peguei a escura e fiz um traçado
Dancei um trocado numa perna só
Falando assim parece brincadeira
Num instante a gafieira virou um forró - Bis
The lyrics of Jackson do Pandeiro's song "Forró na Gafieira" tell the story of a man who visits a music and dance club ("gafieira") in Jacarepaguá and becomes enamored with the atmosphere and rhythms. He's invited to dance by a young man and happily joins in the festivities, impressing everyone with his "côco" step. However, the owner of the club interrupts the music and confronts the singer, calling him a "pau de arara" (a derogatory term for someone who's not a professional dancer) and demanding that he pay for a "lesson." Not one to back down, the singer takes up the challenge and performs a complicated dance ("trocado") on one leg only, turning the gafieira into a "forró" (a dance style from northeastern Brazil).
The song is a celebration of Brazilian music and dance culture, and it highlights the social dynamics of gafieiras, which often served as meeting places for people from different backgrounds and classes. The singer's willingness to engage with the music and dance, even in the face of criticism and exploitation, reflects a popular ethos in Brazil of "resistance through joy" ("resistência pela alegria"), where moments of collective celebration and creativity become acts of empowerment and resistance against oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu fui ver um gafieira que fica em Jacarepaguá
I went to see a Gafieira that is located in Jacarepaguá
Gostei daquela brincadeira e a semana inteira eu fiquei por lá
I enjoyed that fun and stayed there for the whole week
Um moreno disse venha cá entre na dança que a casa é minha
A dark-skinned man told me to come and dance since the place was his
Eu peguei logo uma escurinha
I quickly chose a dark-skinned woman to dance with
E mandei passo de côco que foi um chuá - Bis
Then I danced a fast and lively coconut step
O dono da casa parou a orquestra
The owner of the house stopped the orchestra
E veio falar comigo em pleno salão
He came to talk to me in the middle of the hall
dizendo assim olhe aqui pau de arara
Saying something like 'hey, you standing there like a 'Pau de Arara'
Se a aula não for cara eu quero uma lição
if the price is good, I want to learn from you
Peguei a escura e fiz um traçado
I took the dark-skinned woman and did a smooth step
Dancei um trocado numa perna só
Danced a quick change of steps on one leg
Falando assim parece brincadeira
Speaking like that, it sounds like a joke
Num instante a gafieira virou um forró - Bis
In no time, the Gafieira turned into a 'forró'
Contributed by Sophie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
inaldo angelino
Hoje em 2021 tenho 41 anos, más desde criança meu falecido pai escutava em LP compacto esse grande artista chamado JAKSON DO PANDEIRO.
Obrigado Painho por ter me mostrado as melhores coisa da vida, pois hoje já não presta nada, chamado música
Carlinho Lopes
Um artista q nem ele não nasci mais
carlos alberto
ESSE É O JACKSON COM CERTEZA
Winsthon Marley
Grande Jackson !!!!!!!!!
Samuel Machado Filho
Chamego de Rosil Cavalcanti, em gravação Columbia de 1959, lançada provavelmente em maio, no 78 rpm n.o CB-11146-A, matriz CBO-2025, e em LP sem título, n.o LPCB-37056, como faixa de abertura.
Maria Eliane
Muito bom forró mais eu não escutei aquela mamãe qualidade e outra olhe mais a sua vida deixa a vida do vizinho
Maria Eliane
Mamãe com a minha idade
Iara kleide Silva Santos
Alguém em 2021