Sérgio Mendes Net Worth

What is Sérgio Mendes's Net Worth?

Sérgio Mendes is a Brazilian singer and musician who has a net worth of $20 million. Sérgio Mendes rose to global fame in the 1960s with his bossa nova band Brasil '66. One of the most internationally popular Brazilian artists of all time, his hit songs include covers of "Mas que Nada," "The Look of Love," "The Fool on the Hill," and "Never Gonna Let You Go." Later in his career, Mendes earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for the tune "Real in Rio" from the 2011 animated film "Rio."

Early Life

Sérgio Mendes was born on February 11, 1941 in Niterói, Brazil. With the goal of becoming a classical pianist, he attended the local conservatory as a youth. Mendes later began playing in Brazilian nightclubs as he became more interested in jazz during the emergence of bossa nova. In addition to playing with Antônio Carlos Jobim, he played with a number of American jazz artists who toured in Brazil.

First Albums

Mendes released his first album, the instrumental album "Dance Moderno," in 1961. He subsequently toured Europe and the United States, and recorded albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann. In 1964, Mendes moved to the US and recorded a pair of albums under the group name Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '65. He was joined in the group by Richard Adler, Wanda Sá, and Rosinha de Valença.

International Fame

Mendes's jazz albums in the first half of the 1960s didn't sell particularly well, so Richard Adler encouraged Mendes and Brasil '65 to sing in English. The group was subsequently reformed with singers Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel. Rounded out by bassist Bob Matthews and percussionists João Palma and José Soares, the new group was named Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66. The group rose to fame with its first album, "Herb Alpert Presents Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66," which was released in 1966 through A&M Records. On the album was Mendes's hit cover of the song "Mas que Nada." A number of personnel changes took place over the ensuing years as the group released the albums "Equinox," "Look Around," and "Fool on the Hill." From the lattermost album, Mendes had hit singles with his covers of "Scarborough Fair" and the title track. Meanwhile, he reached an even greater level of recognition when he performed the Oscar-nominated song "The Look of Love" at the Academy Awards in 1968; his version became even more popular than the original by Dusty Springfield. Closing out the decade, Mendes and his group released the albums "Crystal Illusions" and "Ye-Me-Lê."

By the early 1970s, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66 was the most popular Brazilian musical act in the world. The group performed everywhere from the White House to the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. Its albums in the first half of the decade included "Stillness" and "País Tropical." Mendes went on to form a new group, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '77, with which he recorded such albums as "Love Music" and "Vintage 74." Later in the decade, he released the albums "Pelé," "Brasil '88," and "Magic Lady." In 1983, Mendes returned to Herb Alpert's A&M Records and had success with a self-titled album. That album contained his biggest-ever chart single, a cover of "Never Gonna Let You Go." Mendes subsequently released the albums "Confetti," "Brasil '86," and "Arara." His song "Olympia," from "Confetti," was used during the 1984 Summer Olympics. In the 1990s, Mendes released the albums "Brasileiro" (1992), "Oceano" (1996), and "Matrix" (1999), and won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album for "Brasileiro." His albums in the 21st century include "Timeless" (2006), "Encanto" (2007), "Magic" (2014), and "In the Key of Joy" (2020). Mendes also contributed to the soundtrack album of the 2011 animated film "Rio," earning an Academy Award nomination for the original song "Real in Rio."

Personal Life

Mendes is married to singer Gracinha Leporace, who has sung on nearly all of his albums. They have a son named Rodrigo.

Real Estate

In October 1998, Mendes paid $1.685 million for a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Encino, California. Today this home is likely worth $4-5 million. In the 1960s Sérgio owned a home that has an interesting connection to Harrison Ford. In the 1960s, Sérgio performed a major renovation on a different Encino home. One of the construction workers hired to help with the renovation was a young carpenter named Harrison Ford.