Maia performed in a variety of musical genres, ranging from happy and energetic dance music to sentimental songs such as his hit "Me Dê Motivo". He performed soul music, funk, bossa nova (in the 1990s), romantic songs, American pop, samba, baião, and Música Popular Brasileira.
He started to write his earliest songs at eight and at 14, as a drummer, he formed the group Os Tijucanos do Ritmo, which lasted one year. He then took guitar classes and was soon teaching children in the neighborhood of Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, including the Matoso gang (Maia, Jorge Ben, Erasmo Esteves, later Erasmo Carlos, and several others), named after the street where they used to hang out.
In that period, Maia was the guitar teacher of Esteves and when Roberto Carlos joined the gang in 1958, he also took classes with him. Maia, Carlos, and Esteves (together with Edson Trindade, Arlênio Lívio, and José Roberto "China") formed the group The Snakes (later The Sputniks), playing balls and performing on television (including on Carlos Imperial's Clube do Rock on TV Continental, where Carlos was already a regular). The group was soon dissolved due to incompatibility between Carlos and Maia.
After his father's demise in 1959, Maia won a scholarship to study communications in the United States, where he lived for four years. There he started as a vocalist, having joined the Ideals, but in 1963, he was arrested for possession of Weed.
Jailed for six months and then deported to Brazil, he did not find any warmth on the part of his old comrades Esteves and Carlos, who were beginning to enjoy the massive success of Jovem Guarda, which would get a grip on the entire country in a few years. Moving to São Paulo, he had some support from Os Mutantes instead. Having recorded in 1968 his first single with his compositions "Meu País" and "Sentimento," he became more visible after 1969 when he launched his "These Are the Songs," which was re-recorded by Elis Regina in the next year, in duo with him and included on Regina's Em Pleno Verão.
In the 1970s, Maia started to record albums and perform shows promoting his synthesis of American soul and Brazilian music with elements of samba and baião. The movement gradually took the working-class suburbs of the north side of Rio de Janeiro, exploding in 1976 with the black movement.
In 1970 Maia recorded his first full-length LP, Tim Maia, which included the classics "Azul da Cor do Mar", "Coroné Antônio Bento", and "Primavera", and topped the charts for 24 weeks in Rio de Janeiro. His first four albums were all self-titled. Next year's Tim Maia had other hits including "Não Quero Dinheiro (Só Quero Amar)" and "Preciso Aprender a Ser Só". His fourth album, released in 1973, included "Réu Confesso" and "Gostava Tanto de Você".
Maia founded two record labels: Vitória Régia Discos and Seroma. Through the latter he released the albums Tim Maia Racional, Vols. 1 & 2, both with songs about the knowledge contained in the Rational Culture, in the book Universo em Desencanto (Universe in Disenchantment). Although these albums were not well-received at their time of release, they are now regarded as classics and saw re-release in 2005. In 1978 Maia had one of his biggest hits, "Sossego," and another success with "Acenda o Farol," both launched on Tim Maia Disco Club.
In 1983 he had hits with "O Descobridor dos Sete Mares" and "Me Dê Motivo", included on O Descobridor dos Sete Mares (Polygram). Another milestone of his career in the 1980s was Tim Maia (1986), which had the hit "Do Leme ao Pontal (Tomo Guaraná, Suco de Caju, Goiabada Para Sobremesa)".
In 1990 he interpreted bossa nova classics on an album released through his label Vitória Régia that wasn't noticed, the LP Tim Maia Interpreta Clássicos da Bossa Nova. After a period of poor presence in the media, he was again on top after being mentioned by Jorge Ben Jor's "W/Brasil" in 1993. In the same period, Maia had another hit with his re-recording of "Como uma Onda" (Lulu Santos/Nelson Motta) for a television advertisement.
At the same time, he withdrew from majors, recording his next albums through Vitória Régia, including What a Wonderful World (1997), where he recorded American pop/soul classics, and Amigos do Rei/Tim Maia e Os Cariocas, with the famous vocal group. Obese and in bad health, in March 1998 he was performing at the Municipal Theater of Niterói when he became ill. Hospitalized, he died few days later. Tim had suffered from many health problems which includes Diabetes, Acute Hypertension, Obesity and Pulmonary Embolisim. In 1999 he was paid tribute in a show by several Música Popular Brasileira artists. The show was launched on CD and DVD. In 2000 he had another tribute, also released in CD.
Padre Cícero
Tim Maia Lyrics
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Nasce um homem pobre
Porém muito jovem
Porém muito jovem
Todo mundo vai saber
Quem ele é
Este homem estuda
Se formou primeiro
E no Juazeiro
Todo mundo respeitou
O Padre Cicero, Padre Cicero
Padre Cicero, Padre Cicero
Daí então tudo mudou
De reverendo a lutador
Desperta ódio e amor
Passaram anos pra saber
Se era bom ou mal
Mas ninguém
Até hoje afirmou
Era um triste dia
Pois alguém jazia
Cego, surdo e pobre
Cego, surdo e pobre
Desse jeito faleceu
O Padre Cicero
Padre Cicero, Padre Cicero
Padim Ciço
The song "Padre Cícero" by Tim Maia is a homage to the historical figure who is widely revered in the Northeastern region of Brazil. The lyrics describe the life of Padre Cicero, born in poverty in the town of Crato, who overcame his humble origins to become a respected scholar and leader in his community. The song highlights his education, his role as a religious figure and later as a social activist, and the mixed legacy he left behind.
The song begins by describing Padre Cicero's humble origins and youth as a poor man from the Crato region. Despite his circumstances, he was known by everyone, and his determination and intelligence saw him through his studies, even without assistance. He graduated first in his class, and this achievement made him a respected figure in the town of Juazeiro. The chorus refers to him as "Padre Cicero" four times, highlighting his religious position and the focus of his life's work.
The lyrics then mention that Padre Cicero's status changed from a clergyman to a social activist, invoking strong emotions of both love and hatred. Over the years, opinions on his actions changed, and it took a long time for people to decide whether he was a good or bad influence. Finally, the lyrics describe the sadness surrounding his death, that he died poor, deaf and blind. "Padim Ciço," the affectionate nickname for Padre Cicero, is the last line of the song, emphasizing his continued popularity and cultural importance.
Line by Line Meaning
No sertão do Crato
In the Crato countryside
Nasce um homem pobre
A poor man was born
Porém muito jovem
But very young
Todo mundo vai saber
Everyone will know
Quem ele é
Who he is
Este homem estuda
This man studies
Mesmo sem ajuda
Even without help
Se formou primeiro
He graduated first
E no Juazeiro
And in Juazeiro
Todo mundo respeitou
Everyone respected him
O Padre Cicero, Padre Cicero
Father Cicero, Father Cicero
Daí então tudo mudou
Then everything changed
De reverendo a lutador
From reverend to fighter
Desperta ódio e amor
Stirs up hatred and love
Passaram anos pra saber
Years passed to find out
Se era bom ou mal
If he was good or bad
Mas ninguém
But no one
Até hoje afirmou
Has confirmed to this day
Era um triste dia
It was a sad day
Pois alguém jazia
For someone lay
Cego, surdo e pobre
Blind, deaf, and poor
Desse jeito faleceu
Died in this way
O Padre Cicero, Padre Cicero
Father Cicero, Father Cicero
Padim Ciço
Shortened form of 'Padre Cicero'
Contributed by William P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.