Performance · Other credits

Paulinho da Costa

real name Paulo Roberto da Costa

Brazilian percussionist

Brazil · b. 1948-05-31

Paulinho da Costa is credited on 7,374 releases across 1,839 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1970–2026 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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7,374

Credits

1,839

Albums

Decades active

2,291

In collections

Biography

source

Paulinho Da Costa, born May 31, 1948 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a percussionist and started his career playing in various Brazilian ensembles and samba groups.
Arriving in the USA in 1973, Paulinho played in Sérgio Mendes' band for four years before becoming one of the most in-demand percussionists of LA's recording studios in the 1980's.
He has recorded with Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson (on the multi-platinum trilogy of "Thriller," "Bad" and "Off The Wall"), the multi-platinum and biggest selling soundtrack of all time Saturday Night Fever (The Original Movie Sound Track), Toto, Madonna, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Diana Krall, Claus Ogerman and countless others. Paulinho Da Costa has also sporadically released solo albums for Pablo Records and A&M Records.
On May 13, 2026, the percussionist received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, United States, becoming the first person born in Brazil to receive this honor.

Bio from Discogs