João Braga
João de Oliveira e Costa Braga (born April 15, 1945 in Lisbon ) is a Portuguese fado singer.
Life
Born in the Alcântara district in Lisbon, he sang in a local school choir at an early age. In 1957 his parents moved to Cascais , where he began to sing in Fado bars from 1963. In 1964 he moved back to Lisbon with his parents, where he also sang fado bars there. In 1967 he broke off his law degree in order to devote himself entirely to his musician career. As an occasional music journalist, he has also continued to work to this day.
He made his first records in 1967 , and released four EPs that year and his debut album. In the same year it appeared for the first time on television, in the RTP program Alerta Está . From 1969 Luís Villas-Boas , 1948 founder of the jazz club Hot Clube de Portugal , became its record producer. That year Philips signed Braga and he became a professional singer for good.
In 1974, fleeing from a threat of imprisonment, he went to Madrid , where he lived until his return in 1976. He then opened a Fado bar in the Algarve , the O Montinho in Montechoro , in the municipality ( Freguesia ) Albufeira . In 1978 Braga closed the place and went back to Lisbon to run the fado place Páteo das Cantigas . After its closure in 1982 he limited himself to appearances as a singer and to composing Fado songs (approx. 100 since then). He also performed internationally and sang a. a. in London, New York and Rio de Janeiro.
Since the 1990s, he has also started performing with and promoting up-and-coming singers, including Maria Ana Bobone , Mafalda Arnauth , Mariza , Cristina Branco , and Kátia Guerreiro . He thus contributed to the emergence of a new generation of fadistas . Today, especially through his own work, he is regarded as an innovator within the traditional fado.
For his 45th stage anniversary in 2012, a concert evening with media coverage was organized with him and a number of guests, including Maria Ana Bobone, Cuca Roseta , Rão Kyao , and his Fado colleague Rodrigo .
He is also a frequent guest on Portuguese television in the popular football roundtables and stands up for his club, Sporting Lisbon .
Honors
- 1990: Medalha de Mérito Cultural do Município de Lisboa (Cultural Merit Medal of the City of Lisbon)
- 1995: Prémio Neves de Sousa da Casa da Imprensa (press award)
- 1996: Medalha de Mérito da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa (Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Red Cross )
- 1998: Prémio de Carreira da Casa da Imprensa (press award)
- 2006: Order of the Infante Dom Henrique in the rank of commander (Commander)
Discography
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Web links
- João Braga on MusicBrainz (English)
- João Braga at Allmusic (English)
- João Braga at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Salwa Castelo-Branco: Enciclopédia da Músca em Portugal no Século XX, AC. 1st edition, Temas & Debates, Lisbon 2010, page 155f ( ISBN 978-989-644-091-6 )
- ↑ www.portaldofado.net , accessed on October 9, 2012
- ↑ www.caras.sapo.pt , accessed on October 9, 2012
- ↑ www.cotonete.clix.pt , accessed October 9, 2012
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Braga, João |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Braga, João de Oliveira e Costa (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Portuguese fado singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 15, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lisbon , Portugal |