Biography
Castro Barbosa became the inaugural performer of “O Teu Cabelo Não Nega,” the enduring Carnival march that ranks among Brazil’s most significant popular compositions. His lengthy radio and television career yielded more than 82 albums containing 148 songs in total.
Employed at Loide Brasileiro, Barbosa accepted a colleague’s invitation to audition at Rádio Educadora. After Almirante conducted the tryout, Barbosa joined the broadcaster’s roster. Introduced to composer André Filho, he cut his debut Parlophon release, pairing Filho’s marcha “Uvinha” with Heitor dos Prazeres’s samba “Hás de Sentir.” Two additional Parlophon sessions followed before Paulo Neto escorted him to RCA Victor and introduced him to artistic director Rogério Guimarães. Under Guimarães’s supervision, Barbosa recorded the late Fernando Castro Barbosa’s “Cantar” alongside Guimarães’s own “Tenho Mêdo.” On 21 December 1931 he returned to the Victor studios and preserved the version of “O Teu Cabelo Não Nega” credited to Irmãos Valença and Lamartine Babo; the same session also captured Babo’s “Passarinho… Passarinho.” A string of Carnival successes ensued, among them “Lig Lig Lé,” “Praça 11,” and “China Pau.” During this period Barbosa met João de Freitas Ferreira, known professionally as Jonjoca, and the pair formed a duo that produced numerous hits.
After appearances on several stations, Barbosa gained prominence on Radio Philips’s Programa casé. In 1937 he joined Jorge Murad and Dircinha Batista on the popular Palmolive broadcast. Invited by Renato Murce, he made his debut as a humorist at Rádio Transmissora; audience approval allowed him to sustain both singing and comedy careers. He later joined Rádio Mayrink Veiga’s long-running PRV-8, later retitled PRK-30 when the program moved to Rádio Clube do Brasil. Alongside Lauro Borges he launched a three-month São Paulo engagement that ultimately lasted ten years. Four years at Rádio Tupi preceded another four at TV Paulista. Returning to Rio, Barbosa hosted Só Tem Tantã on Channel 13 and contributed to Piadas do Manduca as well as PRK-30 on TV-Rio.
Employed at Loide Brasileiro, Barbosa accepted a colleague’s invitation to audition at Rádio Educadora. After Almirante conducted the tryout, Barbosa joined the broadcaster’s roster. Introduced to composer André Filho, he cut his debut Parlophon release, pairing Filho’s marcha “Uvinha” with Heitor dos Prazeres’s samba “Hás de Sentir.” Two additional Parlophon sessions followed before Paulo Neto escorted him to RCA Victor and introduced him to artistic director Rogério Guimarães. Under Guimarães’s supervision, Barbosa recorded the late Fernando Castro Barbosa’s “Cantar” alongside Guimarães’s own “Tenho Mêdo.” On 21 December 1931 he returned to the Victor studios and preserved the version of “O Teu Cabelo Não Nega” credited to Irmãos Valença and Lamartine Babo; the same session also captured Babo’s “Passarinho… Passarinho.” A string of Carnival successes ensued, among them “Lig Lig Lé,” “Praça 11,” and “China Pau.” During this period Barbosa met João de Freitas Ferreira, known professionally as Jonjoca, and the pair formed a duo that produced numerous hits.
After appearances on several stations, Barbosa gained prominence on Radio Philips’s Programa casé. In 1937 he joined Jorge Murad and Dircinha Batista on the popular Palmolive broadcast. Invited by Renato Murce, he made his debut as a humorist at Rádio Transmissora; audience approval allowed him to sustain both singing and comedy careers. He later joined Rádio Mayrink Veiga’s long-running PRV-8, later retitled PRK-30 when the program moved to Rádio Clube do Brasil. Alongside Lauro Borges he launched a three-month São Paulo engagement that ultimately lasted ten years. Four years at Rádio Tupi preceded another four at TV Paulista. Returning to Rio, Barbosa hosted Só Tem Tantã on Channel 13 and contributed to Piadas do Manduca as well as PRK-30 on TV-Rio.
Albums
