Wave Wire Services
HOLLYWOOD — A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled May 13 honoring Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da Costa for a career that has included collaborations with Michael Jackson on “We Are the World” and “Thriller.”
Da Costa is the first Brazilian honored on the Walk of Fame.
Singer/songwriter and Walk of Famer Ray Parker Jr. and Larry Dunn were among those joining Da Costa in speaking at the ceremony at 1709 Vine St., just north of Hollywood Boulevard. Dunn is best known as the keyboardist and musical director of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Earth, Wind & Fire from 1972 to 1984.
The location of the star was chosen because Da Costa’s team wanted to have the Capitol Records Building in the background from the stage so he could be seen with most significant building in Los Angeles “which represents music,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said.
Da Costa noted the location while accepting the star, saying through his thick Brazilian accent, “You don’t believe how many hours” he spent in that building. He joked that he once got a ticket for walking across the street while getting to the building.
“The fabulous artists I collaborated with, my sincere love and appreciation to all of you,” he said. “Incredible musicians. It was an incredible journey.”
He said he embraced the culture of the United States, “and the culture embraced right back.”
“The rhythms of Brazil run through my veins,” he said. “Growing up there, everything around me became a music instrument — tables, spoons, glasses, bottles, everything — which led to my creativity and improvisation.
“Thank you United States. Thank you this city, and God bless America,” he said.
The ceremony came on the 138th anniversary of Brazil ending slavery when a royal decree known as the Lei Áurea (Golden Law) was signed by Princess Imperial Isabel. That act made Brazil the last nation in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery.
Born May 31, 1948, in Rio de Janeiro, Da Costa discovered his love for percussion when he was 5 years old by exploring the different sounds of everything he could get his hands on, according to the biography on his website, paulinho.com.
While still in his early teens, Da Costa joined several musical groups, traveling extensively throughout the world.
Da Costa has contributed to more than 1,000 projects, including the soundtracks for “Saturday Night Fever,” “Mission Impossible III,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Purple Rain,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Last Jedi,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Transformers,” “Hairspray” and “Footlose,” and such songs as “I Will Survive” and “That’s What Friends Are For.”
Da Costa also has collaborated with Quincy Jones, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sting, Mary J. Blige, Diana Krall, Seal, Jon Bon Jovi, Chaka Khan, John Legend, Lalo Schifrin and David Foster.
Da Costa portrayed an African musician in the 1985 film, “The Color Purple” and contributed to its soundtrack. He also is the subject of the documentary, “The Groove Under the Groove,” which was released in March.
