Cartola

About

Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola (it is Portuguese for 'top hat'),(October 11, 1908 - November 30, 1980) was born in Rio de Janeiro, in a neighborhood called Catete. He got his nickname because of the bowler hat he wore to keep the cement from ruining his hair while working at construction sites. He was one of the samba composers and founders of the Estação Primeira de Mangueira, and has credit for both the name of the school and its colors: green and pink. Cartola composed, alone and alongside others, more than 500 songs. "Cartola did not exist. He was a dream we had." (Nelson Sargento)