Died On This Date (March 4, 2010) Johnny Alf / The Father Of Bossa Nova

Johnny Alf
May 19, 1929 – March 4, 2010

Johnny Alf was a Brazilian singer and pianist who is rightfully considered the “Father of Bossa Nova.”   During his formative years of learning to play music, Alf took a particular liking of the jazz of early America.  He later married that music with the Latin rhythms he grew up with to form a new style, soon to be called Bossa Nova.  His “Rapaz de Bem” and “O Tempo e o Vento” are considered the birth of Bossa Nova.  Johnny Alf was 80 years old when he died of prostate cancer on March 4, 2010.