Born in
Igarapava, Rodrigues grew up in
Nova Europa, a city in the interior of the state of
São Paulo, where he lived until 1954. Thereafter he moved with his family to
São Carlos, where he started his musical career, as the city had the best nightlife in the region. His career began when he
crooned in São Carlos during the mid-to-late-1950s. He also participated in various functions with Radio São Carlos. In 1958, Jair joined the São Carlos military reserve. At the start of the 1960s, he gained popularity in the state capital as a singer on various television programs for new musical talent. In 1965, he and
Elis Regina successfully sang together on "O Fino da Bossa", a television program on
TV Record. In 1966 Jair sang at the "Record Festival" with the song "Disparada" by
Geraldo Vandré and
Théo de Barros, this time in conjunction with Quarteto Novo. Known for singing
sambas, Jair surprised the audience with a beautiful interpretation of the song. "Disparada" and
Chico Buarque's "Banda", sung by Nara Leao, were the favorites. The competition ended in a draw. From that moment on, his career took off and his talent experienced decades of success. Jair released an album a year and performed hits such as
O Menino da Porteira,
Boi da Cara Preta and
Majestade o Sabiá. He has toured Europe, the United States and Japan. In 1971, he recorded the
samba-enredo Festa para um Rei Negro for
GRES Acadêmicos do Salgueiro from Rio de Janeiro. He was a supporter of
Santos FC and was honored by
Torcida Jovem at the 2020 Carnival. Rodrigues died in
Cotia on May 8, 2014. ==Discography==