It’s a musical genre, whose name derives from baiano, a popular northeast Brazilian dance. It was already known in the interior of Northeast Brazil at the end of the 19th century, being played on accordions throughout the semi-arid region.

Known as the king of ‘baião’, Luiz do Nascimento Gonzaga was born on 13 December 1912, on the Caiçara farm, in the municipality of Exu, located at the foot of the Serra do Araripe, Pernambuco. He was the son of accordionist and instrument repairman Januário José dos Santos and Ana Batista de Jesus.