Papete was born in 1947 in the city of Bacabal, in the state of Maranhao. He is the youngest of a set of four great Brazilian percussionists: Airto Moreira, Naná Vasconselos and Anunciacão are his antecedents. Together they form the foundations of a school which influenced musicians throughout the world. Papete understands the importance of the task of a percussionist: to learn the specialist techniques and languages of each percussion instrument he or she uses. Papete is able to play berimbau or a drum in a conventional way as well as being capable of extracting new sounds from his chosen instruments.