Biography
Former member of the Trio de Ouro and a fixture on Brazilian airwaves, Albertinho Fortuna released his debut album in 1944 with the track “Ai, Que Saudade da Amélia” (Ataulfo Alves/Mário Lago). His second album the following year brought his initial commercial breakthrough via “Meu Coração Te Fala” (Pedro Raimundo). During Carnaval 1947 he scored an even greater triumph with “Marcha dos Gafanhotos” (Eratóstenes Frazão/Roberto Martins). Over time he earned lasting recognition for his interpretations of Brazilian romantic repertoire and for his Portuguese adaptations of Argentine tangos, among them “Mano a Mano” (Carlos Gardel/J. Razzano/E. Flores, version by Giuseppe Ghiarone) in 1952.
At the age of eight, Fortuna made his first appearance on Rádio Mayrink Veiga after an invitation from a family acquaintance; audience approval led to repeated, paid engagements. On that same station he captured first place in a children’s contest, while Lurdinha Bittencourt, later a member of the Trio de Ouro, won the corresponding female category. In 1936 Gomes Filho, proprietor of Rádio Sociedade Fluminense in Niterói and director of the school Fortuna attended, recruited him for broadcasts on the fledgling outlet. Later that year Fortuna rejoined the lineup at Rádio Mayrink Veiga, where he performed duets with Carmen Miranda. After a two-year hiatus prompted by the change of his voice, he resumed work first at Rádio Tupi, moved on to Rádio Educadora do Brasil, and eventually secured a long-term contract with the prestigious Rádio Nacional, where his popularity reached a national audience. It was at Nacional that he received the invitation to join Nuno Roland and Paulo Tapajós in forming the Trio Melodia for the program Um Milhão de Melodias.
At the age of eight, Fortuna made his first appearance on Rádio Mayrink Veiga after an invitation from a family acquaintance; audience approval led to repeated, paid engagements. On that same station he captured first place in a children’s contest, while Lurdinha Bittencourt, later a member of the Trio de Ouro, won the corresponding female category. In 1936 Gomes Filho, proprietor of Rádio Sociedade Fluminense in Niterói and director of the school Fortuna attended, recruited him for broadcasts on the fledgling outlet. Later that year Fortuna rejoined the lineup at Rádio Mayrink Veiga, where he performed duets with Carmen Miranda. After a two-year hiatus prompted by the change of his voice, he resumed work first at Rádio Tupi, moved on to Rádio Educadora do Brasil, and eventually secured a long-term contract with the prestigious Rádio Nacional, where his popularity reached a national audience. It was at Nacional that he received the invitation to join Nuno Roland and Paulo Tapajós in forming the Trio Melodia for the program Um Milhão de Melodias.
Albums
