As a composer, Santos worked with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal, Sérgio Mendes and Lynda Laurence, among others.

[6] He eventually ran away from home, becoming an itinerant musician moving around Pernambuco looking for employment and even, for a time, working in a travelling circus.

[4][7] Recognising the artistic value of popular music, Santos began to study big-band composers, taking lessons from Hans-Joachim Koelreutter.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Santos privately taught a number of young Bossa Nova musicians such as Nara Leão, Baden Powell, Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal.

[1] Santos, however, did not receive the wider acclaim he sought and continued to write and teach music in Southern California.

[1] These recordings would form the 2004 album Ouro Negro which featured performances from Milton Nascimento, Joao Donato and Gilberto Gil.