Gilberto Gil (born 26 June, 1942) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter, and Brazil's former minister of culture. He began his career as a bossa nova musician, but soon began writing songs that reflected a new focus on political awareness and social activism, along with fellow singer Caetano Veloso. In the 1970s, Gil added new elements of African and North American music to his already broad palette, and continued to release a steady stream of albums, including Realce and Refazenda. Read more on Last.fm