Déo Rian has been the keeper and developer of the choro tradition since the '60s. He played and recorded with Jacob do Bandolim, Paulinho da Viola, Joel do Bandolim, Clara Nunes, Rafael Rabello, and many others, also having a noted international career as a soloist. He began to play the cavaquinho at age nine. At an early age, he was a frequenter of the Retiro da Velha Guarda, where Pixinguinha, Napoleão de Oliveira (founder of the rancho Ameno Resedá), Cincinato do Bandolim, Luperce Miranda, and Jacob do Bandolim played. Under the influence of Jacob do Bandolim, he abandoned the cavaquinho and took up the mandolin. In 1961, he became his idol's neighbor, and enjoyed his personal orientation, frequenting the rehearsals of the Época de Ouro; eventually, do Bandolim invited Rian to accompany him on cavaquinho in the Época de Ouro. In the next year he became a professional, hired by Rádio Mauá. Accompanied by the Quinteto Villa-Lobos and the E.M.U.F.R.J.'s quartet, he recorded an LP in 1970 dedicated to Ernesto Nazareth. In the early '70s, the Época de Ouro, who had dissolved with the demise of Jacob do Bandolim, was again regrouped, and Rian undertook do Bandolim's position. The group accompanied Paulinho da Viola in his show, Sarau, in 1973. In the next year, Rian recorded two LPs as a soloist, one by Odeon (Choros de Sempre) and the other by CID. In 1974 and 1976, he recorded two great albums with the Época de Ouro through Continental. The first was titled Época de Ouro and the second, Clube do Choro. The latter brought the track "Os Boêmios," which was included on the soundtrack of a major soap opera, Pecado Capital. In 1975, Rian recorded a commercial adventure, soloing Roberto Carlos' songs. In 1977, due to Jonas' alcohol problems, he left the Época de Ouro and formed his own group, Noites Cariocas. In that year, he also accompanied Clara Nunes in her show Canto das Três Raças. Another LP came out in 1980, Inéditos de Jacob do Bandolim, where, accompanied by his group, he played unpublished songs by his master. In the '90s, he developed his international career, playing in Japan. In 1993, he recorded the CD Rafael Rabello e Déo Rian with Rafael Rabello, through BMG Ariola, and in 1996 recorded Choro em Família, presenting young musicians. ~ Alvaro Neder