A major contributor to the Brazilian music explosion of the 1950s and '60s, Roberto Menescal is best known for his widely covered song "O Barquinho." His group, Conjunto Roberto Menescal is considered to be one of the first Brazilian bands to play in the bossa nova style, but he has also disseminated the Brazilian sound as a session guitarist (Elis Regina), arranger/producer (Gilberto Gil, Caetano Velosa), and composer for TV and film.