Almir Guineto (born July 12, 1946, birth name Almir de Souza Serra) is a Brazilian sambista, singer/songwriter and instrumentalist, working in the genres of samba and pagode.Almir Guineto was director of the samba school Salgueiro, a founder of the Fundo de Quintal samba group, and integrated the Originais do Samba group for 10 years before leaving for a solo career. Born on the Salgueiro hills in Rio de Janeiro in a family of musicians, he is credited as the man who introduced the banjo to samba, and is recognized as one of the main fathers of pagode.