Jackson do Pandeiro

Who was Jackson do Pandeiro?

José Gomes Filho, more commonly known as Jackson do Pandeiro, was a Brazilian percussionist and singer.

Jackson was born in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country. His 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.