Early years João (John) Rubinato was the seventh child of Francesco (Francis) Rubinato and Emma Ricchini, Italian immigrants from
Cavarzere (
province of Venice). His parents had settled in
Valinhos, a rural town in the state of
São Paulo, about 70 km from the city of
São Paulo. In 2010, two bridges were named after Rubinato: one located in Valinhos, Brazil, where the singer was born, and another in Cavarzere, Italy, where his parents came from. He is said to have been a rather reluctant student, and started working at an early age (which required falsifying his birth date). His first job was a sweeper boy and general helper at a railway company in the nearby town of
Jundiaí. In 1924 he moved to
Santo André, a town in the
Greater São Paulo area, where he went through many jobs —
loom operator, painter, plumber,
iron worker,
peddler and waiter. At a local technical school (the
Liceu de Artes e Ofícios) he learned the office of
mechanical assistant.
Debut as composer and singer In 1933 João Rubinato moved to the city of São Paulo, where he started composing songs and tried his luck as a singer in
Cruzeiro do Sul radio station, in a
talent-scouting show directed by
Jorge Amaral. After many failures, he finally succeeded with the
Noel Rosa's samba
Filosofia, and got a contract for a weekly 15-minute show. Fearful that a samba artist with an Italian surname would not be taken seriously by the public, João Rubinato then decided to adopt a more Brazilian-sounding name. So he borrowed the unusual "Adoniran" from one of his friends, and "Barbosa" from samba composer
Luiz Barbosa, his idol. In 1935 he won a
Carnaval song contest sponsored by the city of São Paulo, with the samba
Dona Boa, composed together with
J. Aimberê. Spirited by that success, he married his longtime girlfriend
Olga. The couple had a daughter,
Maria Helena, but the marriage broke up in less than one year.
At the Rádio Record In 1941 he started performing comedy in the
radio theater programs of the São Paulo radio station
Rádio Record, — which would later become one of the top television and radio networks of Brazil —
Rede Record. He remained with that network until his retirement in 1972; giving his voice to various popular characters created together with writer
Osvaldo Moles, like:
Pernafina, Zé Cunversa, and
Jean Rubinet (a parody of a French movie star). He also played parts in the movies:
Pif-Paf (1945) and
Caídos do Céu ("Fallen from Heaven") (1946), both directed by
Ademar Gonzaga. In 1949 he married
Matilde de Lutiis, who would be his companion and co-author for the next 50 years. In 1953 he made a fine performance in the movie
O Cangaceiro, by director
Lima Barreto. In the early 1950s he wrote many songs on typical São Paulo themes, most of them recorded by the band
Demônios da Garoa, and won two other São Paulo Carnaval contests. In 1955 he introduced the enormously popular character
Charutinho ("Short Cigar") in the radio humor show
Histórias das Malocas ("Shantytown Stories"). Adoniran also acted in some of the earliest Brazilian soap operas (
telenovelas), such as
A Pensão de D. Isaura ("Ms. Isaura's Boarding Home"), and comic programs like
Ceará contra 007 ("
Ceará against 007") and
Papai Sabe Nada ("Daddy Knows Nothing").
Later years and legacy In spite of the success of his songs and radio characters, Adoniran only became a star of sorts after 1973 when he recorded his first own album. That made him respected as a major composer, and gave him some media exposure. Nevertheless, through his career he continued living a simple and happy life. He had earned a private table at the
Bar Brahma, one of the city's most traditional bars. While he never lost his love of São Paulo, towards the end of his life he became increasingly sad about the disappearance of its traditional character. "Until the 1960s," he once said, "São Paulo still existed, but since then I have been looking for it, and could not find it. Brás, where is Brás now? And Bexiga, where is it? I was told to look for the
Sé. Could not find it. All I see is cars and concrete." While his music continued to be played, Adoniran himself was gradually forgotten by the public; so that when he died in 1982, in relative poverty, he had at his side only his wife and a brother-in-law. However, almost 30 years after his death he is still remembered by popular Brazilian singers like Perci Guzzo, who occasionally performs his songs in tribute. On 6 August 2016,
Google Doodle commemorated his 105th birthday. Adoniran Barbosa was portrayed by
Paulo Miklos in the 2023 Brazilian feature film
Saudosa Maloca. ==Homages==