Manoel dos Reis Machado (1900-1974), the son of Luis Cândido Machado and Maria Martinha do Bonfim, was born November 23, 1900, in the district of "Engenho Velho" Freguesia Brotas, Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. The nickname "Bimba" comes from a bet between his mother and the midwife. The first thought that she would have a daughter while the midwife was sure it would be a boy. At delivery, the mother asked who had won the bet and the midwife replied "It is a bimba, Mrs Martinha". The word "bimba" means in Portuguese male genital organ babies.

Bimba began to Capoeira to 12 years, with a Master of African descent named Bentinho, captain of the company Bahia de Navigation. At 18, Bimba began to provide capoeira lessons in the neighborhood where he was born. In 1928, considering that he practiced and taught capoeira was not competitive and was poor in the fight, he created the Regional Capoeira from the merger of Capoeira Angola with the Batuque, a struggle that Bimba had learned from his father, champion of the state of Bahia.

Bimba then sought to prove its effectiveness by challenging other known representatives of all kinds of struggles. He won every tournament, the one that lasted the longest time not exceeding 1 minute and 10 seconds. Bahia newspapers recounted his exploits stressing his courage and tenacity. With the expansion of the sport beyond the confines of Salvador, the fight went to call themselves "Capoeira Regional".

In 1932 Mestre Bimba founded his first Capoeira Regional Academy in the "Engenho Velho de Brotas" of Salvador, called "Bahia Regional Cultural Centre Physics". In 1937 he managed to save his academy with the Secretariat for Education, Health and Public Assistance of Salvador, in recognition of his work.In 1939, Bimba taught Regional Capoeira in Preparation Centre Oficiers of the Brazilian army. In 1942 he founded his second academy in Terreiro de Jesus. He presented his capoeira throughout the country, and July 23, 1953 to the present President Getúlio Vargas in Salvador. When shaking hands, he declared "Capoeira is the only truly national sport." Shortly after, it allows the practice of capoeira, previously prohibited.

Father of 10, Bimba experienced financial problems. Trusting in the promises of one of his students, who gave courses to Goiana, Bimba moved to the capital in January 1973 on to find a better life. But its existence to Goiana was not as we had promised. February 5, 1974 at the Hospital of Goiania, Master Bimba died, the victim of a stroke.