Carlos do Carmo

Carlos do Carmo was born in December 1939 and grew up with fado, the Portuguese genre of longing and melancholy. His mother, Lucília do Carmo, was a fado singer, and he heard the music in local taverns from childhood. He started performing in fado houses as a young man, and his baritone voice drew attention for its emotive quality. In 1964 he released his debut album, simply titled "Fado."

His career spanned decades, and he recorded over 50 albums. Some of his best-known songs are odes to Lisbon, like "Lisboa Menina e Moça" and "Canoas do Tejo." He also sang "No Teu Poema" and "Bairro Alto." During Portugal's authoritarian Salazar regime, fado was sometimes suppressed as subversive, but Carmo kept performing it, including in underground gatherings.

Carmo collaborated with musicians such as guitarists José Manuel Neto and Carlos Paredes, and with Brazilian artists Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Maria Bethânia. He was married for a time to Celeste Rodrigues, daughter of the fado singer Amália Rodrigues, and later to Margarida Pereira. Carlos do Carmo died in January 2021 at age 81.