Tony De Matos

Born in Porto, Portugal, on October 28, 1924, Antonio de Matos grew up surrounded by the stage because both of his parents worked as professional actors with the Companhia Desmontável de Teatro Rafael. Performance came easily to the young man, who began singing in Porto theaters alongside his family while still a child. At age 21 he joined Emissora Nacional as a singer, only to leave the post shortly afterward. For nearly three years during his early twenties he stepped away from professional work entirely.

A guest spot opening for the renowned fado artist Julio Peres at Lisbon’s Café Luso changed that trajectory when audiences and management responded so strongly that de Matos received a three-year residency at the club. In 1950 producer Manuel Simões brought him to Madrid to cut his first recordings; among them, “Cartas de Amor” and several other tracks quickly became national hits. Through the early 1950s he made repeated trips to Brazil, where he performed in stage plays, headlined at the Copacabana, and made additional recordings.

By the time he settled back in Portugal in 1967, singles such as “So Nos Dois” and “Vendaval” had already established him as a national star. Throughout the 1960s he also appeared in popular Portuguese films including A Cancao da Suadade and Rapazes de Taxis, gaining recognition as both an actor and a skilled vocalist. Although his screen career continued to flourish in the 1970s and numerous EPs and singles were commissioned from him, de Matos did not issue a full solo album until the 1985 release Romantico. His final solo album, Cantor Latino, appeared in 1988 on which he reinterpreted songs associated with fellow fado artists and Portuguese giants Rui Veloso and João Gil.

Tony de Matos succumbed to cancer on June 8, 1989. After his death, various compilations of his recordings and a DVD documenting his 1985 live performance at the Coliseu dos Recreios continued to circulate and maintain a following.