Born on the Salgueiro hills in Rio de Janeiro in a family of musicians, he is credited as the man who introduced the banjo to samba, and is recognized as one of the main fathers of pagode.

Guineto first knew success when his partido "Mordomia" won the first prize in the 1981 MPB-Shell festival.

At the start of his career, his famous song "Saco Cheio" (Everything that is made on earth/God's name is thrown in the midst/God must be pissed off) came to raise protests from Rio de Janeiro's archbishop, D. Eugênio Sales.

His records have a particular samba sound that became trademarked as Almir's, frequently with strong use of the banjo, and with Mauro Diniz often being responsible for the cavaquinho.

One of his most important records is the self-titled Almir Guineto from 1986, which opens with the afro-inspired "Caxambú".