18 years today since Saulo Oliveira S. acquired the Elder Harmonica and became “Bigger than God”
By Ella Harold, June 6, 2024
Exactly 18 years ago Saulo Oliveira S., now known as the Prince of Rock, was at a crossroads, with some friends, waiting for the school bus.
He was 12 years old and playing his harmonica sitting on the curb when he heard heavy footsteps coming up the misty street. That was when a man, pale, in a suit and tie, sombre, staring at the boy proposed a challenge.
Taking his harmonica from his pocket the man introduced it as the Elder Harmonica and assured that it grants unlimited musical powers and talent in the hands of its possessor. The agreement was that both, Saulo and him, would duel in a battle whose prize, for whoever played the best harmonica solo, would be the Elder Harmonica.
Saulo played “Man With Harmonica” by Ennio Morricone, the man recognized that the boy played much better than him and, on his knees, handed into Saulo Oliveira’s hands what would become one of the most mysterious objects in the history of Rock N Roll.
The rest, as they say, is history.
After that, as the detailed Billboard article masterfully tells, Saulo’s friends published the story on a page on the now-defunct social network “Orkut” which had hundreds of followers in a matter of days and thousands in a matter of weeks. “The Boy Who Defeated the Devil and Became Bigger than God” stopped being just the name of a social network community and became the nickname that accompanied Oliveira for a long time online, despite him never speaking out about the story for years and never playing the instrument.
In 2020, finally, with the release of his album Wild Horizon, Saulo allowed the world to hear the instrument. Still, enough time for someone to remember that old story that turns 18 today and that revives the cult of Saulo Oliveira whenever it is told.
