About Dilu Melo
Lived 1913 – 2000 (aged 86). Dilu Melo was a Brazilian singer, musician and folklorist.
Maria de Lourdes Argollo Oliver (Viana, September 25, 1913 – Rio de Janeiro, April 24, 2000), better known by the stage name Dilu Melo, was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and folklorist.
At the age of 5 years old, she started studying music and violin. At the age of nine, started learning guitar with her mother, D. Nenê, and piano with professor Elizéne D'Ambrósio. At the age of 10, composed her first work, a waltz entitled "Heloísa", in honor of her younger sister.
In 1958, she recorded the song "Nos velhos tempos", by Altamiro Carrilho and Armando Nunes. Influenced by Antenógenes Silva, she began to play the accordion, receiving from the press the name "Queen of the Accordion".
She was the author of more than one hundred songs. Among her interpreters were Ademilde Fonseca, Amália Rodrigues, Carmen Costa, Nara Leão, Fagner, Clara Nunes, and Dóris Monteiro.
Discography Engenho d'água/Coco babaçu (1938) Fiz a cama na varanda/Sapo cururu (1944) Cesário/Planta milho (1945) Menino dos olhos tristes/Coisas do Rio Grande (1945) Lá na serra/Qual o valor da sanfona (1949) Recordando os pagos/As coisas erradas do mundo (1950) Maravia/Tudo é verdade (1952) Redinha de algodão/Meia canha (1952) Carta a Papai Noel/Tempinho bom (1952) Sans souci/Os 10 mandamentos do sanfoneiro (1954)
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Important facts
People in Dilu Melo's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Dilu Melo's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Dilu Melo?
Brazilian singer, musician and folklorist
When was Dilu Melo born?
Dilu Melo was born on 25 September 1913 in Viana, Maranhão.
When did Dilu Melo die?
Dilu Melo died on 24 April 2000 in Rio de Janeiro.
What was Dilu Melo's occupation?
Dilu Melo was a singer, musician and folklorist.
What nationality was Dilu Melo?
Dilu Melo was Brazilian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dilu Melo. https://biography.guide/dilu-melo/
MLA: "Dilu Melo." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dilu-melo/.
Chicago: "Dilu Melo." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dilu-melo/.
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