View source for Gilberto Gil

{{Short description|Brazilian musician and politician (born 1942)}}
{{Portuguese name|Passos|Gil Moreira}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Gilberto Gil
| honorific_suffix   = [[Order of Prince Henry|GCIH]]
| image              = Gilberto Gil, May 2025.jpg
| caption            = Gil in 2025
| birth_name         = Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1942|6|26}}
| birth_place        = [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Vargas Era|Brazil]]
| education          = [[Federal University of Bahia]] ([[Bachelor of Business Administration|BBA]])
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|politician}}
| party              = {{Plainlist|
* [[Brazilian Democratic Movement Party|PMDB]] (1988–1990)
* [[Green Party (Brazil)|PV]] (1990–present)
}}
| spouse             = {{Plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Belina de Aguiar|1965|1967|end=separated}}
* {{Marriage|[[Nana Caymmi]]|1967|1968|end=separated}}
* {{Marriage|Sandra Gadelha|March 1969|1980|end=div}}
* {{Marriage|Flora Giordano|1981}}
}}
| children           = 8 (including [[Preta Gil|Preta]])
| website            = {{URL|gilbertogil.com.br/}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed              = yes
| background         = solo_singer
| genre              = {{flatlist|
* [[Música popular brasileira|MPB]]
* [[tropicália]]
* [[world music|world]]
* [[samba]]
* [[forró]]
* [[Rock music|rock]]
* [[reggae]]
* [[Experimental music|experimental]]}}
| instrument         = {{flatlist|
* [[Vocal]]
* [[guitar]]
* [[hurdy-gurdy]]
* [[vibraphone]]
}}
| years_active       = 1959–present
| label              = {{flatlist|
* JS Discos
* [[Radio Corporation of America|RCA]]
* [[Phonogram Inc.|Phonogram]]
* Polygram Brasil
* [[PolyGram]]
* [[Philips Records|Philips]]
* WEA
* [[Som Livre]]
* [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
* [[Sony Music|Sony]]}}
| associated_acts    = {{flatlist|
* [[Caetano Veloso]]
* [[Gal Costa]]
* [[Maria Bethânia]]
* [[Os Mutantes]]
* [[Tom Zé]]
* [[Doces Bárbaros]]
* [[Preta Gil]]
* [[Moraes Moreira]]
* [[Jorge Mautner]]
* Nelson Jacobina
* [[Chico Science e Nação Zumbi]]
* [[João Gilberto]]}}
}}
}}
'''Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira''' ({{IPA|pt|ʒiwˈbɛʁtu ˈʒiw|lang}}; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's [[Ministry of Culture (Brazil)|Minister of Culture]] in the administration of President [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]]. Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including rock, [[Music of Brazil|Brazilian genres]] including [[samba]], [[Music of Africa|African music]], and [[reggae]].

Gil started to play music as a child and was a teenager when he joined his first band. He began his career as a [[bossa nova]] musician and began to write songs that reflected a focus on political awareness and social activism. He was a key figure in the [[música popular brasileira]] and [[Tropicalismo|tropicália]] movements of the 1960s, alongside artists such as longtime collaborator [[Caetano Veloso]]. The [[History of Brazil (1964–1985)|Brazilian military regime]] that [[1964 Brazilian coup d'état|took power]] in 1964 saw both Gil and Veloso as a threat, and the two were held for nine months in 1969 before they were told to leave the country. Gil moved to [[London]], but returned to [[Bahia]] in 1972 and continued his musical career, while also working as a politician and environmental advocate. His album [[Quanta Live]] won [[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album|Best World Album]] at the [[41st Annual Grammy Awards]], and the album Eletracústico won the [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album|Best Contemporary World Music Album]] at the [[48th Annual Grammy Awards]].

== Early life (1942–1963) ==
Gil was born in [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]] and spent much of his childhood in [[Ituaçu]]. Ituaçu was a small town of fewer than a thousand people, located in the [[sertão]], or countryside, of Bahia.<ref name=katz>{{cite journal |last=Katz |first=David |author-link=David Katz (author) |author2=Gil, Gilberto |date=July–August 2009 |title=Truth to Power |journal=[[Wax Poetics]] |issue=36 |pages=48–60 |publisher=Wax Poetics, Inc. |location=[[Brooklyn]], New York City |issn=1537-8241 }}</ref> His father, José Gil Moreira, was a doctor; his mother, Claudina Passos Gil Moreira, an elementary school teacher.<ref name=katz/><ref name=tepel>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?3800 |title=Gilberto Gil |access-date=15 March 2008 |last=Tepel |first=Oliver |date=7 August 2006 |work=The international artist database |publisher=culturebase.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061120012716/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?3800 |archive-date=20 November 2006}}</ref> As a young boy, he attended a [[Marist Brothers]] school.{{sfn|Veloso|2003|p=180}} Gil remained in Ituaçu until he was nine years old, returning to Salvador for secondary school.

Gil's interest in music was precocious: "When I was only two or two and a half", he recalled, "I told my mother I was going to become a musician or president of my country".<ref name=quinn>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Quinn |title=Mixing Miami With Copacabana |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A73901 |work=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |date=17 September 1999 |access-date=24 March 2008 }}</ref> He grew up listening to the [[forró]] music of his native northeast,<ref name=tepel/> and took an interest in the street performers of Salvador.<ref name=skelly>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p6573/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography |access-date=16 March 2008 |last=Skelly |first=Richard |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Guide]]}}</ref> Early on, he began to play the drums and the trumpet, through listening to Bob Nelson on the radio.<ref name=tourneen>{{cite web |url=http://www.ejn.it/mus/gil.htm |title=Gilberto Gil |access-date=16 March 2008 |last=Tourneen |first=Saudades |work=Europe Jazz Network |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321161024/http://www.ejn.it/mus/gil.htm |archive-date=21 March 2008}}</ref> Gil's mother was the "chief supporter" in his musical ambitions; she bought him an [[accordion]] and, when he was ten years old, sent him to music school in Salvador which he attended for four years.<ref name=katz/><ref name=quinn/> As an accordionist, Gil first played classical music, but grew more interested in the folk and popular music of Brazil.<ref name=katz/> He was particularly influenced by singer and accordion player [[Luiz Gonzaga]]; he began to sing and play the accordion in an emulation of Gonzaga's recordings.{{sfn|Wald|2007|pp=113–116}} Gil has noted that he grew to identify with Gonzaga "because he sang about the world around [him], the world that [he] encountered".<ref name="myers">{{cite journal|last=Myers|first=Robert|author2=Gil, Gilberto|year=1990|title=Brazilian Popular Music in Bahia: 'The Politics of the Future': An Interview with Gilberto Gil|journal=Studies in Latin American Popular Culture|location=[[Austin, Texas]]|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|volume=9|pages=298–311|issn=0730-9139}}<!--|access-date=2010-07-27 --></ref>

During his years in Salvador, Gil encountered the music of songwriter [[Dorival Caymmi]], who he says represented to him the "beach-oriented" samba music of Salvador.<ref name=myers/> Gonzaga and Caymmi were Gil's formative influences.<ref name=katz/> While in Salvador, Gil was introduced to many other styles of music, including American [[big band]] jazz and [[tango music|tango]].<ref name=myers/> In 1950 Gil moved back to Salvador with his family. It was there, while in high school, that he joined his first band, Os Desafinados ("The Out of Tunes"), in which he played accordion and vibraphone and sang.<ref name=katz/> Os Desafinados was influenced by American rock and roll musicians like Elvis Presley, as well as singing groups from Rio de Janeiro.<ref name=katz/> The band was active for two to three years. Soon afterwards, inspired by Brazilian musician [[João Gilberto]], he settled on the guitar as his primary instrument and began to play bossa nova.<ref name=skelly/>

== Musical career (1963–present) ==
[[File:Gilberto Gil e Nana Caymmi no III Festival da Música Popular.tif|left|thumb|Gilberto Gil and Nana Caymmi in III Popular Music Festival, 1967. [[Brazilian National Archives|National Archives of Brazil]]]]
Gil met guitarist and singer [[Caetano Veloso]] at the [[Universidade Federal da Bahia]] (Federal University of Bahia) in 1963. The two began collaborating and performing together, releasing a single and EP.<ref name=tepel/> Along with [[Maria Bethânia]] (Veloso's sister), [[Gal Costa]], and [[Tom Zé]], Gil and Veloso performed bossa nova and traditional Brazilian songs at the Vila Velha Theatre's opening night in July 1964, a show entitled ''Nós, por Exemplo'' ("Us, for Example").<ref name=tourneen/> Gil and the group continued to perform at the venue and he eventually became a musical director of the concert series.{{sfn|Veloso|2003|p=46}} Gil collaborated again with members of this collective on the landmark 1968 album ''[[Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses]]'', whose style was influenced by The Beatles' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', an album Gil listened to constantly.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ernest |last=Barteldes |title=Gilberto Gil |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-03-29/music/gilberto-gil |work=[[Miami New Times]] |date=29 March 2007 |access-date=2 May 2008 |archive-date=17 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717034859/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-03-29/music/gilberto-gil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gil describes ''Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses'' as the birth of the tropicália movement.<ref name=katz/> As Gil describes it, tropicália, or tropicalismo, was a conflation of musical and cultural developments that had occurred in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960s—primarily [[bossa nova]] and the [[Jovem Guarda]] ("Young Wave") collective—with [[rock and roll]] music from the United States and Europe, a movement deemed threatening by the Brazilian government of the time.<ref name=goodman>{{cite web |url=http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/25/from_political_prisoner_to_cabinet_minister |title=From Political Prisoner to Cabinet Minister: Legendary Brazilian Musician Gilberto Gil on His Life, His Music and the Digital Divide |access-date=25 June 2008 |last=Goodman |first=Amy |author-link=Amy Goodman |date=25 June 2008 |format=radio |work=[[Democracy Now!]] }}</ref>

Early on in the 1960s, Gil earned income primarily from selling bananas in a shopping mall and composing [[jingle]]s for television advertisements;<ref name=skelly/> he was also briefly employed by the Brazilian division of [[Unilever]], Gessy-Lever.<ref name=tourneen/> He moved to [[São Paulo]] in 1965 and had a [[hit single]] when his song "Louvação" (which later appeared on the [[Louvação|album of the same name]]) was released by [[Elis Regina]]. His first hit as a solo artist was the 1969 song "[[Aquele Abraço]]".<ref name=skelly/> Gil also performed on several television programs throughout the 1960s, which often included other "tropicalistas", members of the Tropicalismo movement.<ref name=tourneen/>

=== Imprisonment and exile ===
In October 1968, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso performed at Sucata club in Rio de Janeiro, with [[Hélio Oiticica|Hélio Oiticica's]] poem-flag {{Lang|pt|[[Seja marginal, seja herói]]}} displayed on stage.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Cámara |first=Mario |date=11 January 2016 |title=El artista plástico Hélio Oiticica: escritor y fotógrafo |url=https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/Outra/article/view/2176-8552.2016n21p93 |journal=Outra Travessia |language=pt |volume=1 |issue=21 |pages=93–104 |doi=10.5007/2176-8552.2016n21p93 |issn=2176-8552|hdl=11336/106342 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso: the story of a friendship |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/story/gilberto-gil-and-caetano-veloso-the-story-of-a-friendship/egUBi8tjNx-CbQ |access-date=15 May 2023 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en}}</ref> The journalist {{Ill|Randal Juliano|pt}} of [[RecordTV]] propagated a story that Caetano and Gil had sung the [[Brazilian National Anthem]] in subversive parody.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lichote |first=Leonardo |date=14 September 2020 |title=A ditadura brasileira contra Caetano Veloso: os arquivos completos da repressão |url=https://brasil.elpais.com/cultura/2020-09-14/a-ditadura-brasileira-contra-caetano-veloso-os-arquivos-completos-da-repressao.html |access-date=15 May 2023 |website=El País Brasil |language=pt-BR}}</ref> The two musicians were arrested without trial 27 December 1968—shortly after the military state had passed on 13 December [[Institutional Act Number Five]], which suspended [[habeas corpus]].<ref name=":0" />

In February 1969 Gil and Veloso were arrested by the [[History of Brazil (1964–1985)|Brazilian military government]], brought from São Paulo to [[Rio de Janeiro]], and spent three months in prison and another four under house arrest,<ref name=katz/><ref name=goodman/> before being freed on the condition that they leave the country. Veloso was the first to be arrested; the police moved to Gil's home soon afterward. Veloso had directed his then-wife Andréa Gadelha to warn Gil about the possibility of arrest, but Gil was eventually brought into the police van along with Veloso.{{sfn|Veloso|2003|pp=219–220}} They were given no reason or charge for their arrest.<ref name=katz/> Gil believes that the government felt his actions "represent[ed] a threat [to them], something new, something that can't quite be understood, something that doesn't fit into any of the clear compartments of existing cultural practices, and that won't do. That is dangerous."<ref name=dibbell>{{cite magazine |last=Dibbell |first=Julian |author-link=Julian Dibbell |date=November 2004 |title=We Pledge Allegiance to the Penguin  |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |volume=12 |issue=11 |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.11/linux.html |access-date= 16 March 2008}}</ref> During his prison sentence, Gil began to [[meditation|meditate]], follow a [[macrobiotic diet]], and read about [[Eastern philosophy]].<ref name=tepel/> He composed four songs during his imprisonment, among them "Cérebro Electrônico" ("Electronic Brain"), which first appeared on his 1969 album ''[[Gilberto Gil 1969]]'', and later on his 2006 album ''[[Gil Luminoso]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Julie |last=McCarthy |title=Brazilian Culture Minister Rocks Out with New Album |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7650054 |format=radio |work=[[Weekend Edition|Weekend Edition Saturday]] |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |date=3 March 2007 |access-date=10 May 2008 }}</ref> Thereafter, Gil and Veloso were exiled to London, England after being offered to leave Brazil.{{sfn|Veloso|2003|pp=262–263}} The two played a last Brazilian concert together in Salvador in July 1969, and travelled to Portugal, Paris, and London.<ref name=katz/> He and Veloso took a house in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], with their wives and manager.<ref name=lewis>{{cite news |title=Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso in London |first=John |last=Lewis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/15/gilberto-gil-caetano-veloso-london |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 July 2010 |access-date=27 July 2010 }}</ref> Gil was involved in the organisation of the 1971 [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] [[Free Festival]]<ref name="lewis"/> and was exposed to reggae while living in London; he recalls listening to [[Bob Marley]] (whose songs he later covered), [[Jimmy Cliff]], and [[Burning Spear]].<ref name=katz/> He was heavily influenced by and involved with the city's rock scene as well, performing with [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[Pink Floyd]], and the [[Incredible String Band]].<ref name=katz/><ref name=skelly/> However, he also performed solo, recording ''Gilberto Gil'' (''Nêga'') while in London. In addition to involvement in the reggae and rock scenes, Gil attended performances by jazz artists, including [[Miles Davis]] and [[Sun Ra]].<ref name=katz/>

[[File:Gilberto Gil with guitar.jpg|thumb|right|Gilberto Gil performing in 2007]]
When he went back to Bahia in 1972, Gil focused on his musical career and environmental advocacy work.<ref name=cnn>{{cite news |title=Brazil's Gilberto Gil, minister of cool |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/09/01/brazil.people.gil.reut/ |author=Staff |work=[[Reuters]] via [[CNN]] |location=[[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=16 March 2008 }}</ref> He released ''Expresso 2222'' the same year, from which two popular singles were released. Gil toured the United States and recorded an English-language album as well, continuing to release a steady stream of albums throughout the 1970s, including ''Realce'' and ''Refazenda.'' In the early 1970s Gil participated in a resurgence of the [[Afro-Brazilian]] [[afoxê|afoxé]] tradition in [[Brazilian Carnival|Carnaval]], joining the Filhos de Gandhi ("Sons of Gandhi") performance group,{{sfn|Crook|2005|p=141}} which only allowed black Brazilians to join.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unb.br/ics/dan/Serie145empdf.pdf |title=Black Music of All Colors: The Construction of Black Ethnicity in Ritual and Popular Genres of Afro-Brazilian Music |access-date=24 May 2008 |last=Carvalho |first=José Jorge de |year=1993 |publisher=[[Universidade de Brasília]] |page=14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527235634/http://www.unb.br/ics/dan/Serie145empdf.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2008}}</ref> Gil also recorded a song titled "Patuscada de Gandhi" written about the Filhos de Gandhi that appeared on his 1977 album ''Refavela''. Greater attention was paid to afoxé groups in Carnaval because of the publicity that Gil had provided to them through his involvement; the groups increased in size as well.{{sfn|Crook|2005|pp=142–143}} In the late 1970s he left Brazil for Africa and visited [[Senegal]], [[Ivory Coast]], and [[Nigeria]]. He also worked with [[Jimmy Cliff]] and released a [[cover version|cover]] of "[[No Woman, No Cry]]" with him in 1980, a number one hit that introduced [[reggae]] to Brazil.<ref name=skelly/>

In 1996, Gil contributed "Refazenda" to the AIDS-Benefit Album [[Red Hot + Rio]] produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]].

In 1998 the live version of his album ''Quanta'' won Gil the [[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album]]. In 2005 he won the [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album]] for ''Eletracústico''. In May 2005 he was awarded the [[Polar Music Prize]] by [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]] in Stockholm,<ref>{{cite news |author=Staff |title=Gilberto Gil Receives Polar Music Prize |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/62801/gilberto-gil-receives-polar-music-prize |work=[[Associated Press]] via [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=4 May 2005 |access-date=16 March 2008 }}</ref> the prize's first Latin American recipient. On 16 October of the same year he received the [[Légion d'honneur]] from the government of [[France]], coinciding with the Année du Brésil en France ("Brazil's Year in France").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/communiq/donnedieu/ggil.html |title=Cérémonie de remise des insignes de Grand Officier dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneur à Gilberto Gil |access-date=18 March 2008 |last=Durand |first=Fabien |date=13 October 2005 |work=Culture.fr |language=fr }}</ref>

In 2010 he released the album ''Fé Na Festa'', a record devoted to [[forró]], a style of music from Brazil's northeast. His tour to promote this album received some negative feedback from fans who were expecting to hear a set featuring his hits.<ref>{{cite web |author=Russ Slater |title=Gilberto Gil at Royal Festival Hall&nbsp;– July 21st |url=http://www.soundsandcolours.com/reviews/live-reviews/gilberto-gil-royal-festival-hall-%e2%80%93-july-21st/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730132922/http://www.soundsandcolours.com/reviews/live-reviews/gilberto-gil-royal-festival-hall-%E2%80%93-july-21st/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 July 2010 |work=Sounds and Colours |date=27 July 2010 |access-date=27 July 2010 }}</ref> In 2013, Gilberto Gil plays his own role as a singer and promoter of cultural diversity in a long feature documentary shot around the southern hemisphere by Swiss filmmaker [[Pierre-Yves Borgeaud]], ''Viramundo: a musical journey with Gilberto Gil'', distributed worldwide. The film also inaugurates the T.I.D.E. experiment for pan-European and multi-support releases.<ref>''[http://www.screendaily.com/news/gilberto-gil-doc-set-for-tide-day-and-date-release/5052414.article TIDE to “day-and-date” release Gilberto Gil doc in ten countries] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017005853/http://www.screendaily.com/news/gilberto-gil-doc-set-for-tide-day-and-date-release/5052414.article |date=17 October 2015 }}'', SCREEN Daily, 27 February 2013, by Melanie Goodfellow</ref>

His album ''OK OK OK'' was ranked as the 4th best Brazilian album of 2018 by the Brazilian edition of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine<ref name="rsbmelhores18">{{cite magazine |last1=Antunes |first1=Pedro |title=Rolling Stone Brasil: os 50 melhores discos nacionais de 2018 |url=https://rollingstone.uol.com.br/noticia/rolling-stone-brasil-os-50-melhores-discos-nacionais-de-2018/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] Brasil |publisher=Grupo Perfil |access-date=28 December 2020 |language=pt |date=21 December 2018}}</ref> and among the 25 best Brazilian albums of the second half of 2018 by the [[Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte|São Paulo Association of Art Critics]].<ref name="apcamelhores18">{{cite magazine |last1=Antunes |first1=Pedro |title=Baco Exu do Blues, Gilberto Gil, Duda Beat: os 25 melhores discos brasileiros do segundo semestre de 2018, segundo a APCA |url=https://rollingstone.uol.com.br/noticia/baco-exu-do-blues-gilberto-gil-carne-doce-duda-beat-apca-escolhe-os-25-melhores-discos-brasileiros-do-segundo-semestre-2018/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] Brasil |publisher=Grupo Perfil |access-date=28 December 2020 |language=pt |date=30 November 2018}}</ref>

== Political career (1987–present) ==
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Gilberto Gil
| image               = Gilberto Gil 1719MC198.jpg
| caption             = Gil in 2007
| office              = [[Ministry of Culture (Brazil)|Minister of Culture]]
| term_start          = 1 January 2003
| term_end            = 30 July 2008
| president           = [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]]
| predecessor         = Francisco Weffort
| successor           = Juca Ferreira
| office1             = Councillor of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]]
| term_start1         = 1 January 1989
| term_end1           = 1 January 1993
| constituency1       = At-large
| party               = [[Green Party (Brazil)|PV]] (1990–present)
| otherparty          = [[Brazilian Democratic Movement Party|PMDB]] (1988–90)
| signature           = Gilberto Gil Signature.svg
}}

Gil describes his attitude towards politics thus: "I'd rather see my position in the government as that of an administrator or manager. But politics is a necessary ingredient."<ref name=rohter2>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Gilberto Gil Hears the Future, Some Rights Reserved |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/arts/music/11roht.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=[[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], Bahia |date=11 March 2007 |access-date=16 August 2009 }}</ref> His political career began in 1987, when he was elected to a local post in Bahia and became the Salvador secretary of culture.<ref name=steward>{{cite news |first=Sue |last=Steward |title=Minister of cool: part one |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/oct/19/popandrock1 |work=[[The Observer]] |publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]] |date=19 October 2003 |access-date=16 March 2008}}</ref> In 1988, he was elected to the city council and subsequently became city commissioner for environmental protection. However, he left the office after one term and declined to run for the [[National Congress of Brazil]].<ref name=rohter2/> In 1990, Gil left the [[Brazilian Democratic Movement Party]] and joined the [[Green Party (Brazil)|Green Party]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff |url=http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/sec_biografia.php?page=4&ordem=DESC |title=Gilberto Gil:: vida |publisher=Gege Produções Artísticas Ltda. |work=gilbertogil.com.br |year=2004 |access-date=3 May 2008 |language=pt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612045839/http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/sec_biografia.php?page=4&ordem=DESC |archive-date = 12 June 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> During this period, Gil founded the environmental protection organization Onda Azul ("Blue Wave"), which worked to protect Brazilian waters.<ref name=cnn/> He maintained a full-time musical career at the same time, and withdrew temporarily from politics in 1992, following the release ''Parabolicamará'', considered to be one of his most successful efforts.<ref name=tepel/> On 16 October 2001 Gil accepted his nomination to be a [[Food and Agriculture Organization#FAO Goodwill Ambassadors|Goodwill Ambassador]] for the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO) of the United Nations, having promoted the organization before his appointment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/9700-en.html |title=Singer Gilberto Gil |access-date=17 September 2009 |author=Staff |work=FAO Ambassadors Programme |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020113457/http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/9700-en.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When President [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] took office in January 2003, he chose Gil as Brazil's new Minister of Culture, the second black person to serve in [[Cabinet of Brazil|the country's cabinet]]. The appointment was controversial among political and artistic figures and the Brazilian press; a remark Gil made about difficulties with his salary received particular criticism.<ref name=rohter>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=A Government Gig for Brazilian Pop Star; Gilberto Gil Becomes Culture Minister, But Not Everyone Sings His Praises |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD8143FF932A05751C1A9649C8B63 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716110817/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD8143FF932A05751C1A9649C8B63 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2012 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=31 December 2002 |access-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> Gil had not been a member of Lula's [[Workers' Party (Brazil)|Workers' Party]] and had not participated in creating its cultural program.<ref name=rohter/> Shortly after becoming Minister, Gil began a partnership between Brazil and [[Creative Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://creativecommons.org/2008/06/25/gilberto-gil-on-democracy-now/ | publisher = Creative Commons | title = Gilberto Gil on Democracy Now | date = 25 June 2008 | access-date= 21 February 2021}}</ref> In 2003, he gave a concert in the UN General Assembly in honour of the victims of the [[Bombing of UN Headquarters in Baghdad|bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2003/note5812.doc.htm|title = MEMORIAL TRIBUTE CONCERT BY GILBERTO GIL TO BE HELD AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS &#124; Meetings Coverage and Press Releases}}</ref> In that concert, he played together with Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/music-language-human-rights-political-diplomacy|title=How music is the real language of political diplomacy|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=31 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-33YIVYC4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/C5-33YIVYC4| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Toda menina baiana| date=11 September 2009|access-date=22 October 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

As Minister, he sponsored a program called Culture Points, which gave [[Grant (money)|grants]] to provide music technology and education to people living in poor areas of the country's cities.<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Gilberto Gil and the politics of music |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/12/news/gil.php |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |location=[[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Brazil]] |date=12 March 2007 |access-date=16 March 2008 }}</ref> Gil asserted that "You've now got young people who are becoming designers, who are making it into media and being used more and more by television and samba schools and revitalizing degraded neighborhoods. It's a different vision of the role of government, a new role."<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Brazilian Government Invests in Culture of Hip-Hop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/arts/music/14gil.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=[[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] |date=14 March 2007 |access-date=15 March 2008 }}</ref> Gil also expressed interest in a program to establish an Internet repository of freely [[downloadable]] Brazilian music.<ref name=dibbell/> Following Gil's appointment, the department's expenditures increased by over 50&nbsp;percent.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marco |last=Werman |title=Gilberto Gil |url=http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/8904 |format=radio |work=[[The World (radio program)|The World]] |publisher=[[BBC World Service]] and [[Public Radio International]] |date=22 March 2007 |access-date=22 March 2008 }}</ref> In November 2007 Gil announced his intention to resign from his post due to a [[vocal cord polyp]].<ref>{{cite news |author=The New York Times |title=Gilberto Gil to Resign |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/music/12arts-GILBERTOGILT_BRF.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=12 November 2007 |access-date=15 March 2008 }}</ref> Lula rejected Gil's first two attempts to resign, but accepted a further request in July 2008. Lula said on this occasion that Gil was "going back to being a great artist, going back to giving priority to what is most important" to him.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brazil musician leaves government |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7534323.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC |date=31 July 2008 |access-date=9 August 2008 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Gil has been married four times. He had two daughters Nara and Marilia, with first wife Belina Aguiar. He was then married to famous singer [[Nana Caymmi]], they had no children. His third wife was Sandra Gadelha with whom he had three children: Pedro, Preta and Maria. Sandra inspired one of his most beloved songs Drão, she was with him during the very hard times of Brazilian dictatorship and they both were exiled. His fourth wife is Flora Giordano. The couple has three children: Bem, Isabella and Jose. His first son Pedro Gil, [[Egotrip (band)|Egotrip]]'s drummer&nbsp;– died in a car accident in 1990.<ref name=astor>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Astor |title=Brazilian pop star Gil tours U.S. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/2007-03-16-2248300129_x.htm |work=[[Associated Press]] via [[USA Today]] |publisher=[[Gannett Company]] |location=[[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]] |date=16 March 2007 |access-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808234332/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/2007-03-16-2248300129_x.htm|archive-date=August 8, 2017 }}</ref> [[Preta Gil]], an actress and singer, is his daughter with Sandra Gadelha.

Gil's religious beliefs have changed significantly over his lifetime. Originally, he was a Christian, but was later influenced by [[Eastern philosophy]] and religion, and, later, explored African spirituality. He is an agnostic.<ref name=astor/> He practices yoga and is a vegetarian.<ref name=goodman/>

Gil has been open about the fact that he has smoked [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] for much of his life. He has said he believes "that drugs should be treated like pharmaceuticals, legalized, although under the same regulations and monitoring as medicines".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/12873 |title=Brazilians Reject Marijuana Legalization |author=Staff |access-date=23 March 2008 |date=22 August 2006 |work=Angus Reid Global Monitor |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306134420/http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/12873 |archive-date=6 March 2010}}</ref>

In 2023, Gil revealed that he had also been in relationships with men, stating "We are all [[bisexual]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braziliense' |first='Correio |date=2 June 2023 |title=Gilberto Gil revela que já se relacionou com homens: 'Somos todos bissexuais' |url=https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/diversao-e-arte/2023/06/5099215-gilberto-gil-revela-que-ja-se-relacionou-com-homens-somos-todos-bissexuais.html |access-date=21 October 2024 |website=Diversão e Arte |language=pt-BR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Aguiar |first=Matheus |date=2 June 2023 |title=Bissexual? Gilberto Gil revela já ter se relacionado sexualmente com homens: "Natural" |url=https://contigo.com.br/noticias/famosos/bissexual-gilberto-gil-revela-ja-ter-se-relacionado-sexualmente-com-homens-natural.phtml |access-date=21 October 2024 |website=Contigo! |language=pt-br}}</ref>

== Musical style and influences ==
{{Listen
|filename     = Gilberto_Gil_-_Oslodum_sample.ogg
|title        = "Oslodum"
|description  = Gil recorded "Oslodum" for the 2004 compilation album ''[[The Wired CD]]'', an album composed of songs licensed under the [[Creative Commons]]. The song is heavily influenced by [[samba reggae]], one of the many elements of Gil's style. The title is a play on the name [[Olodum]], a major [[samba reggae]] cultural group based in [[Salvador, Brazil|Salvador]], Bahia, Brazil.}}
Gil is a [[tenor]], but he sings in the [[baritone]] or [[falsetto]] register, with lyrics and/or scat syllables. His lyrics are on subjects that range from philosophy to religion, folktales, and [[word play]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Gilberto Gil, Bahia's Most Beloved Export |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFDB113AF93BA35752C1A964958260 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=8 November 1992 |access-date=24 March 2008 }}</ref> Gil's musical style incorporates a broad range of influences. The first music he was exposed to included The Beatles and street performers in various metropolitan areas of Bahia. During his first years as a musician, Gil performed primarily in a blend of traditional Brazilian styles with [[two-step (dance move)|two-step]] rhythms, such as [[Baião (music)|baião]] and [[samba]].<ref name=quinn/> He states that "My first phase was one of traditional forms. Nothing experimental at all. Caetano [Veloso] and I followed in the tradition of [[Luiz Gonzaga]] and [[Jackson do Pandeiro]], combining samba with northeastern music."<ref name=quinn/> American music critic [[Robert Christgau]] said that along with [[Jorge Ben]], Gil was "always ready to go further out on a beat than the other samba/bossa geniuses".<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=6 April 1993|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv393-93.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=12 August 2018}}</ref>

As one of the pioneers of tropicália, influences from genres such as rock and [[punk rock|punk]] have been pervasive in his recordings, as they have been in those of other stars of the period, including Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé. Gil's interest in the [[blues]]-based music of rock pioneer [[Jimi Hendrix]], in particular, has been described by Veloso as having "extremely important consequences for Brazilian music".{{sfn|Veloso|2003|p=191}} Veloso also noted the influence of Brazilian guitarist and singer [[Jorge Ben Jor|Jorge Ben]] on Gil's musical style, coupled with that of traditional music.{{sfn|Veloso|2003|p=191}} After the height of tropicália in the 1960s, Gil became increasingly interested in black culture, particularly in the Jamaican musical genre of [[reggae]]. He described the genre as "a form of democratizing, internationalizing, speaking a new language, a [[Martin Heidegger|Heideggerian]] form of passing along fundamental messages".<ref name=behague>{{cite journal |last=Béhague |first=Gerard |author-link=Gerard Béhague |date=Spring–Summer 2006 |title=Rap, Reggae, Rock, or Samba: The Local and the Global in Brazilian Popular Music (1985–95) |journal= Latin American Music Review |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages= 79–90 |url= http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/latin_american_music_review/v027/27.1behague08.html |doi=10.1353/lat.2006.0021 |s2cid=191430137 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Visiting [[Lagos]], Nigeria, in 1976 for the Festival of African Culture (FESTAC), Gil met fellow musicians [[Fela Kuti]] and [[Stevie Wonder]].<ref name=katz/> He became inspired by African music and later integrated some of the styles he had heard in Africa, such as [[juju]] and [[highlife]], into his own recordings.<ref>{{cite news |author=Staff |title='Brazil has a new energy' |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/07/01/bmgil01.xml |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041210094748/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2003%2F07%2F01%2Fbmgil01.xml |url-status= dead |archive-date= 10 December 2004 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=1 July 2003 |access-date= 3 May 2008 }}</ref> One of the most famous of these African-influenced records was the 1977 album ''Refavela'', which included "No Norte da Saudade" (''To the North of Sadness''), a song heavily influenced by reggae.{{sfn|Crook|2005|p=82}} When Gil returned to Brazil after the visit, he focused on Afro-Brazilian culture, becoming a member of the Carnaval afoxé group Filhos de Gandhi.

Conversely, his 1980s musical repertoire presented an increased development of dance trends, such as [[disco]] and [[soul music|soul]], as well as the previous incorporation of rock and punk.<ref name=behague/> However, Gil says that his 1994 album ''Acoustic'' was not such a new direction, as he had previously performed unplugged with Caetano Veloso. He describes the method of playing as easier than other types of performance, as the energy of acoustic playing is simple and influenced by its roots.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/6 |title=Interview: Gilberto Gil (1995) |access-date=3 May 2008 |last=Eyre |first=Banning |author2=Gil, Gilberto |date=3 June 1995 |work=Afropop Worldwide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513214850/http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/6 |archive-date=13 May 2008}}</ref> Gil has been criticized for a conflicting involvement in both authentic Brazilian music and the worldwide musical arena. He has had to walk a fine line, simultaneously remaining true to traditional Bahian styles and engaging with commercial markets. Listeners in Bahia have been much more accepting of his blend of music styles, while those in southeast Brazil felt at odds with it.<ref name=behague/>

== Discography ==
* 1967: ''[[Louvação]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1968: ''[[Gilberto Gil (1968 album)|Gilberto Gil]]'' (with [[Os Mutantes]])
* 1968: ''[[Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis]]'' (with [[Caetano Veloso]], [[Gal Costa]], [[Os Mutantes]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1969: ''[[Gilberto Gil (1969 album)|Gilberto Gil (''Cérebro Eletrônico'')]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1970: "Copacabana Mon Amour"<ref name=":4" />
* 1971: ''Gilberto Gil'' (''Nêga'')
* 1972: ''Barra 69: Caetano e Gil Ao Vivo na Bahia''<ref name=":4" />
* 1972: ''[[Expresso 2222]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1974: ''Gilberto Gil Ao Vivo''
* 1975: "[[Gil e Jorge|Gil e Jorge: Ogum Xangô]]" (with [[Jorge Ben]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1975: ''Refazenda''<ref name=":4" />
* 1976: ''[[Doces Bárbaros]]'' (with [[Gal Costa]], [[Caetano Veloso]] and [[Maria Bethânia]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1977: ''Refavela''<ref name=":4" />
* 1978: ''Gilberto Gil Ao Vivo em Montreux''<ref name=":4" />
* 1978: ''Refestança'' (with [[Rita Lee]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1979: ''Nightingale''<ref name=":4" />
* 1979: ''[[Realce]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1981: ''[[Brasil (1981 album)|Brasil]]'' ([[João Gilberto]] album featuring [[Caetano Veloso]], Gilberto Gil and [[Maria Bethânia]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1981: ''Luar (A Gente Precisa Ver o Luar)''<ref name=":4" />
* 1982: ''[[Um Banda Um]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1983: ''[[Extra (Gilberto Gil album)|Extra]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1984: ''Quilombo (Trilha Sonora)''<ref name=":4" />
* 1984: ''Raça Humana''<ref name=":4" />
* 1985: ''Dia Dorim Noite Neon''<ref name=":4" />
* 1987: ''Gilberto Gil em Concerto''<ref name=":4" />
* 1987: ''[[Soy Loco por Ti America]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 1987: ''Trem Para As Estrelas'' (''Trilha Sonora'')
* 1988: ''Ao Vivo em Tóquio''<ref name=":4" />
* 1989: ''O Eterno Deus Mu Dança''<ref name=":4" />
* 1991: ''Parabolicamará''<ref name=":4" />
* 1994: ''Acoustic''
* 1994: ''[[Tropicália 2]]'' (with [[Caetano Veloso]])<ref name=":4" />
* 1995: ''Esoterico: Live in USA 1994''
* 1995: ''Oriente: Live in Tokyo''
* 1996: ''Em Concerto''<ref name=":4" />
* 1996: ''Luar''<ref name=":4" />
* 1997: ''Indigo Blue''
* 1997: ''Quanta''<ref name=":4" />
* 1998: ''Ao Vivo em Tóquio''
* 1998: ''O Sol de Oslo''<ref name=":4" />
* 1998: ''O Viramundo (Ao Vivo)''<ref name=":4" />
* 1998: ''[[Quanta Live]]''
* 2000: ''Me, You, Them''
* 2001: ''Gil & Milton'' (with [[Milton Nascimento]])<ref name=":4" />
* 2001: ''São João Vivo''<ref name=":4" />
* 2002: ''Kaya N'Gan Daya''<ref name=":4" />
* 2002: ''Z: 300 Anos de Zumbi''
* 2004: ''Eletracústico''
* 2005: ''Ao Vivo''
* 2005: ''[[As Canções de Eu Tu Eles]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 2005: ''Soul of Brazil''
* 2006: ''[[Gil Luminoso]]''<ref name=":4" />
* 2006: ''Rhythms of Bahia''
* 2008: ''Banda Larga Cordel''<ref name=":4" />
* 2009: ''Bandadois''<ref name=":4" />
* 2010: ''Fé na Festa''<ref name=":4" />
* 2010: ''Fé na Festa ao vivo''
* 2011: ''Gilberto + 10''
* 2012: ''Especial Ivete Caetano Gilberto ao vivo''<ref name=":4" />
* 2013: ''Concerto de Cordas & Maquinas de Ritmo''<ref name=":4" />
* 2014: ''Gilbertos Samba''<ref name=":4" />
* 2015: ''Gilbertos Samba ao vivo''
* 2016: ''Dois Amigos'' (with [[Caetano Veloso]])
* 2017: ''Trinca de Ases'' (with [[Gal Costa]] and [[Nando Reis]])
* 2018: ''OK OK OK''<ref name=":4" />
* 2022: ''Em Casa com os Gils''

== Awards, nominations, and positions ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Work !! Award !! Result
|-
| 1981 || N/A || Anchieta Medal—São Paulo City Council<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Gilberto Gil |url=https://dicionariompb.com.br/artista/gilberto-gil/ |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=Dicionário Cravo Albin |language=pt-BR}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1986 || N/A || The Gold Dolphin—Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro<ref name=":4" />|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1990 || N/A || [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]—[[Minister of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture of France]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=3 April 2025 |title=ABL na mídia - Correio Braziliense - Gilberto Gil vai receber título de doutor honoris causa pela UFRGS |url=https://www.academia.org.br/noticias/abl-na-midia-correio-braziliense-gilberto-gil-vai-receber-titulo-de-doutor-honoris-causa |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=Academia Brasileira de Letras |language=pt-br}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1990 || N/A || Commendator of the [[Order of Rio Branco]]<ref name=":2" />|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1997 || N/A || [[Ordre national du Mérite]] || {{Won}}
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Quanta Live]]'' || [[Grammy Award]]—[[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album|Best World Music Album]]<ref name=":1" />|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1999 || N/A || Order of Cultural Merit—[[Ministry of Culture (Brazil)|Ministry of Culture]]<ref name=":2" />|| {{Won}}
|-
| 1999 || N/A || [[UNESCO Artist for Peace]]—United Nations<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Artists for Peace {{!}} UNESCO |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/goodwill-ambassadors/artists |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=www.unesco.org |language=en}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2001 || ''Eu Tu Eles'' || Cinema Brazil Grand Prize—Best Music || style="background:#fdd;"|Nominated
|-
| 2001 || ''As Canções De Eu, Tu, Eles'' || [[Latin Grammy Awards|Latin Grammy Award]]—Brazilian Roots/Regional Album<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Gilberto Gil {{!}} Artista {{!}} LatinGRAMMY.com |url=https://www.latingrammy.com/artistas/gilberto-gil/20484-03 |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=www.latingrammy.com |language=pt}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2001 || N/A || [[Food and Agriculture Organization#FAO Goodwill Ambassadors|Goodwill Ambassador]]—[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gilberto Gil, Vocalist and Political Activist born |url=https://aaregistry.org/story/gilberto-gil-vocalist-and-political-activist-born/ |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=African American Registry |language=en}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2002 || ''Viva São João!'' || Passista Trophy—Long Documentary&nbsp;– Best Score || {{Won}}
|-
| 2002 || ''São João Vivo'' || [[Latin Grammy Awards|Latin Grammy Award]]—Best Brazilian Roots/Regional Album<ref name=":5" />|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2003 || N/A || [[Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Personalidade do Ano da Latin Recording Academy: Homenageando Conquistas Artísticas e Humanitárias {{!}} LatinGRAMMY.com |url=https://www.latingrammy.com/premiacao/personalidade-do-ano |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=www.latingrammy.com |language=pt}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2005 || ''Eletracústico'' || [[Grammy Award]]—[[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album|Best Contemporary World Music Album]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gilberto Gil {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/artists/gilberto-gil/2879 |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2005 || N/A || [[Polar Music Prize]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2009 |title=Embaixada da Suécia Brasilia - Brasileiros no Prêmio Polar de Música |url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____46592.aspx |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=web.archive.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118142935/http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____46592.aspx |archive-date=2009-11-18}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2005 || N/A || [[Légion d'honneur]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ordre National De La Légion D'Honneur |url=https://www.jobim.org/gil/handle/2010.4/17521 |access-date=25 July 2025 |website=www.jobim.org}}</ref>|| {{Won}}
|-
| 2016 || ''Gilbertos Samba Ao Vivo'' || [[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album]]<ref name=":1" />|| {{Nominated}}
|-
| [[20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2019]] || ''[[Ok Ok Ok]]'' || [[Latin Grammy Award for Best MPB Album]] || {{Won}}<ref name="billboardLG19">{{cite magazine |last1=Cabo |first1=Leila |title=Latin Grammys 2019 Winners: Complete List |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/latin-grammys-2019-winners-list-8543699/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=[[MRC (company)|MRC]] |access-date=9 September 2020 |date=14 November 2019}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* ''Vamos Fugir'' ([[:pt:Vamos Fugir|pt]])
* ''Sítio do Picapau Amarelo'' ([[:pt:Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (canção)|pt]])

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Sources ===
*Perrone, Charles A. ''Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Song:  MPB 1965–1985''. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989. Chapter 3.  Gilberto Gil: Guidance and Afro-Brazilliance.
* {{cite book |last=Crook |first=Larry |title=Brazilian Music: Northeastern Traditions and the Heartbeat of a Modern Nation |year=2005 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=[[Santa Barbara, California]] |isbn=1-57607-287-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Veloso |first=Caetano |author-link=Caetano Veloso |year=2003 |title=Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |location=New York City |isbn = 978-0-306-81281-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Wald |author-link= Elijah Wald |first=Elijah |title=Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music |year=2007 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-415-97930-6 }}
*Di Carlo, Josnei (2020).[https://www.academia.edu/43917023/Is_there_a_theory_of_peripheral_postmodernism_Tropicália_and_the_art_criticism_of_Mário_Pedrosa_in_the_1960s Is there a theory of peripheral postmodernism? Tropicália and the art criticism of Mário Pedrosa in the 1960s  ].''Revista do Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros'', 1(76): 18-33.

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|www.gilbertogil.com.br}}
* [http://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/music-is-pleasure-an-interview-with-gilberto-gil/ Music Is Pleasure: An Interview with Gilberto Gil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210232424/https://soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/music-is-pleasure-an-interview-with-gilberto-gil/ |date=10 February 2017 }}
* [http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/25/from_political_prisoner_to_cabinet Wide-ranging one-hour interview] with [[Amy Goodman]] on ''[[Democracy Now!]],'' 25 June 2008 (video, audio, and print transcript)
* [http://www.slipcue.com/music/brazil/gil.html Gilberto Gil discography] on Slipcue.com

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
|- style="background:#ddd;"
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Grammy Award]]'''
{{s-bef|before=[[Milton Nascimento]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album]]|years=1999<br />'''for ''[[Quanta Live]]'''''}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Caetano Veloso]]}}
|- style="background:#ddd;"
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Latin Grammy Award]]'''
{{s-bef|before=[[Paulo Moura]] & Os Batutas}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Roots Album]]|years=2001, 2002<br />'''for ''[[As Canções de Eu Tu Eles]]'' and ''São João Vivo'''''}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dominguinhos]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Youssou N'Dour}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album]]|years=2006<br />'''for ''Eletracústico'''''}}
{{s-aft|after=[[The Klezmatics]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Ivan Lins]] and The [[Metropole Orchestra]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Latin Grammy Award for Best MPB Album]]|years=2010<br />'''for ''Especial Ivete, Gil e Caetano'''''|alongside=[[Ivete Sangalo]] and [[Caetano Veloso]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Maria Rita]]}}
|-
{{s-non|reason=First}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Roots Album|Latin Grammy Award for Best Native Brazilian Roots Album]]|years=2010<br />'''for ''Fé na Festa'''''}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Naná Vasconcelos]]}}
|- style="background:#ddd;"
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Multishow Brazilian Music Award]]'''
{{s-bef|before=[[Roberto Carlos (singer)|Roberto Carlos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Multishow Brazilian Music Award]] for Best Singer|years=2003}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Caetano Veloso]]}}
|- style="background:#ddd;"
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Troféu Imprensa|Press Trophy]]'''
{{s-bef|before=[[Roberto Carlos (singer)|Roberto Carlos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Troféu Imprensa|Press Trophy]] for Best Singer|years=1974|alongside=[[Roberto Carlos (singer)|Roberto Carlos]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chico Buarque]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Francisco Weffort]]}}
{{s-ttl|after=Juca Ferreira|title=[[Ministry of Culture (Brazil)|Minister of Culture of Brazil]]
|years=2003–2008}}
{{s-aft|after=Juca Ferreira}}
|-
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Murilo Melo Filho]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Academia Brasileira de Letras|7th Academic of the 20th chair of the<br />Brazilian Academy of Letters]]|years=2022–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}

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