Sérgio Mendes had a 60-year career, marked by perseverance and a decision to stay in the U.S. after a lukewarm tour. His success in the U.S. began after being signed by trumpeter Herb Alpert and forming Brasil '66 with two female singers. The group went on to have three Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late 1960s.

Mendes' first American hit was "Mas que Nada," reaching number 47 on the singles chart in 1966. Forty years later, he did the song with the Black Eyed Peas. It reached number six in the UK.

You can go here to watch him perform the song in 1967 with Brasil '66. And there are a few videos on YouTube that feature the version with Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas. Your choice.

I thought it would be fun to also feature a different song, "That Heat," with Mendes, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and Erykah Badu. Go here to watch the video.

The photo in this episode's chapters and thumbnail is of Mendes in 1971. It's attributed to Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.

Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.