Coming from a poor family, he quit school at a young age to seek employment in a factory.

He showed a musical talent at a young age playing a home-made guitar made of a cigar box and wires.

He demonstrated a great ability to play the instrument and composed a choro ("Caminhando") which gained him notoriety as a musician (due in part to an uncommon modulation which made it hard for other instrumentalists to harmonize with it).

As a young man he became acquainted with famous samba players like Cartola, Carlos Cachaça, and Zé da Zilda.

Some of his better-known works include: "A Flor e o Espinho", "Folhas Secas", "O Bem e o Mal" and "Juízo Final".