The band was formed in Belém, the state capital, in 1999 by singer/dancer Joelma da Silva Mendes and guitarist/producer Cledivan Almeida Farias, better known as Mestre Ximbinha.
The band now enjoys success throughout Brazil and has begun to establish its career abroad with tours to the United States, Europe and Angola.
In 2011, development began on the feature film This is Calypso – The Movie, which will recount how Joelma and Ximbinha met, the band's formation in 1999 and its recognition in Brazil and abroad.
[3] The film is being directed by Caco Souza and will star Deborah Secco as Joelma; the actor who will play Ximbinha has not yet been named.
After the single 'Vendaval' along with other songs were published in an album and distributed in the Northeast, the band played several concerts in the region that featured the singer, Dinho, in addition to starring Joelma.
In this show, and with the release of the album, the band displayed their work to a wider audience and earned a reputation in parts of the country where they had not yet had the opportunity to play in concert.
In 2003 the band went back to Recife to attend the 1ª Festa do São João da Capitá, which was broadcast by TV network Rede Globo.
The band recorded their fourth album: Banda Calypso, Volume 4, which was completed in less than a week, with lead single Pra Te Esquecer, and the ballads Imagino and Tic Tac, among others.
Unlike previous albums, singing with Joelma was not Dinho but Edu Luppa, a songwriter partner who sang tracks Uma Rosa and Maria.
The disk is considered one of the classics of the band and features the song highlights: A Lua Me Traiu, Ainda Te Amo, Pra Todo Mundo Ver and Minha Princesa.
While promoting the album, at a show in Goiânia the heel of Joelma's shoe broke during a dance routine and she fell heavily to the stage floor, hit her head and became unconscious.
It was the best selling album of the band to date with a total of 1,800,000 copies in Brazil alone, and its impact on the Brazilian music media was very strong.
Entered in the Latin Grammy Awards, Volume 8 competed in the category, 'Best Album of Brazilian Regional Music' which singer Elba Ramalho won.
This DVD was a compilation of a tour of five Brazilian cities: Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Salvador and Belém.
The next day the band played the State Gym Geraldo José de Almeida (Ibirapuera Gymnasium) with a charity show 'Child Hope' and there introduced the song This is Calypso.
The band was invited to participate in the song Pássaros Noturnos on the album Encontro de Viajantes Zé Ramalho.
The first single Arrepiou was not as successful as expected, its most prominent were the ballads, Muito Além do Prazer, Doce Mel who had good repercussion in radios, but their dance songs as Balanço do Norte and Feita Pra Te Amar performed well also.
In 2009, the band released Amor Sem Fim, which was full of musical influences, and with the participation of Edu & Maraial, David Assayag & Edilson Santana and Yasmin, daughter of Joelma and Ximbinha, the disc back music gospel, 'Jesus Me Abraçou', a song in honor of the Amazon, Chama Guerreira 'with the participation of David Assayag & Edilson Santana, and a song that recounts the dialogue between mother and daughter Luz de Deus 'in which the couple's daughter duets, including their first single Vida Minha, which was present in several state, regional and national charts.
On this album the band moves away from the beat calypso and going to other rhythms like cumbia, carimbó, Lambada, and also their romantic ballads that are never out your disks.
The bandage debut was 100 000 copies, and soon they released the album's single Vida Minha was present at several stops, including the Hot 100 Brazil.
In return for Title Citizens Pernambucanos the band recorded their DVD celebrating 10 years on November 6, 2009, in the area outside of the Chevrolet Hall in Recife.
The show featured appearances from artists like Maestro Spok, Bruno & Marrone, Fagner and Voz da Verdade.
[15] The album features quite daring in terms of variety of rhythms, mixed by the band quite as African Zouk rhythms, the tracks Isso Não é Amor and Sinônimo de Amor , and brought the Calipso arrangements with accordion, an instrument is best known for forró, on the track "Ataque de Leão and also a mix of backcountry with romantic ballad "Meus Medos" and Noite Fria Cama Vazia .
Despite logistical difficulties, the band wanted to record the DVD during presentations at the Festival as a way to pay tribute to the people of that country.
Among the successes are Meu Encanto , Homem Perfeito (El Hombre Perfecto), Ardendo de Amor, Entre Tapas and Beijos (one of the most performed songs of the band, rereading the success Leandro & Leonardo, a super version "up" with the guitar Ximbinha punctuating vocals by Joelma Mendes), Doa em Quem Doer, Te Encontrei, Potpourri: Principe Encantado / Me Telefona / Você me Enganou, a track that pays homage Angola:"O Som da Africa", with the participation of the African drum "djembe" and vocal Anselmo Ralph, Angolan idol singing with Joelma, Meus Medos, Perdoa, A Cura, Blackout , Imagino , Ataque de um Leão, De Joelhos, Pot-pourri of Carimbó: Pra Dançar Carimbó / Rebola and Vai Pegar Fogo.
The album features several tracks featured as: Quem Ama não Deixa de Amar which contains the participation of the singer Amado Batista and is part of the soundtrack of the novel Balacobaco Rede Record, Me Beija Agora which is part of the soundtrack of the novel Guerra dos Sexos Rede Globo, The End that plays with your letter variations in Portuguese and English and O Poder de Deus" which is the first composition Joelma vocalist.
There are also some remakes like "Abandonada" the Fafa de Belém, "Pressentimento" singer Fagner and "Onde Anda Meu Amor" the backcountry Léo Magalhães.
The songs Eu Me Rendo, "Me beija Agora", "The End", "Paris", "A Festa Começou", "Se Joga" and "Quem Ama não Deixa de Amar" were part of the repertoire that also included other major successes of this band.
[16] Joelma and Ximbinha traveled to Miami to start recording of a new CD, now in Spanish, with the help of producer Cesar Lemos.
After being announced the separation of the leaders, Joelma resigned from the Banda Calypso in December and continues his solo career, with the same rhythm that gave prominence to it.