Sérgio Mendes, who brought Brazilian music to mainstream listeners, died Thursday at age 83 from long COVID. Mendes became a force in pop during the ’60s when he debuted his Brasil ’66 band. The single “Mas Que Nada” written by Jorge Ben, made him known and was the start of his sound fertile, with bossa nova rhythms, jazz, and funk entering the landscape of popular music. Antonio Carlos Jobim, another legendary musician from Brazil, served as his mentor, and Herb Alpert signed him to the A&M record label, which was then brand-new. The reception to his eighth studio album, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, was so warm that the album achieved platinum status. Mendes re-recorded “Mas Que Nada” with The Black Eyed Peas in 2006 for his Timeless album, which had collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Q-Tip, John Legend, Erykah Badu, and India.Arie, and more. BEP founder will.i.am produced the Timeless album.
Mendes became popular with R&B audiences when he recorded the Stevie Wonder-penned “The Real Thing” for his 1977 album, Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil ’77. Vanessa Williams also recorded “The Real Thing” for her album of the same name. Mendes recorded 55 albums over his career and he won a Grammy in 1992 for Best World Music for the album Brasileiro. In 2005, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys. HBO released the documentary, Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy, in 2020, the same year his last album, In the Key of Joy, came out. His last performances were in 2023 for audiences in Barcelona, Paris, and London.
