Zé Ramalho

Zé Ramalho (born José Ramalho Neto in Brejo do Cruz, Paraíba, Brazil, October 03, 1949) is a Brazilian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Zé Ramalho is also the first cousin of Elba Ramalho, a well known Brazilian singer and performer.

As with many musicians back in his younger days, he was first influenced by rock and roll; however, at the age of 20, his music took a more Northeastern Brazilian approach (forro, folk). Zé Ramalho's lyrics however, are very influenced by the socio-economic difficulties faced by the average Brazilian.