Biography
The vocal ensemble came into being officially in 1939 once the Preto e Branco duo of Herivelto Martins and Nilo Chagas had split. Dalva de Oliveira’s addition rounded out the lineup that became Trio de Ouro, which reached its height during the following decade thanks to the enduring standards “Ave Maria no Morro” (Martins) and “Praça Onze” (Martins/Grande Otelo), both issued in 1942. Between 1936 and 1939 the three performed under the billing Dalva e a Dupla Preto e Branco, the name that appears on their first successes of 1937: Príncipe Pretinho’s “Itaquari” and “Ceci e Peri.” By 1938, with Martins and Oliveira already sharing a household, Rádio Mayrink Veiga engaged them; César Ladeira supplied the designation Trio de Ouro. That name surfaced on their 1939 release of “Quem Mora na Lua” (Pretinho) and “Madalena Se Zangou” (Sinval Silva e Santos), although Carmen Miranda’s 1938 version of Martins’ “Meu Rádio e Meu Mulato” already listed the credit Miranda and Trio de Ouro.
The group’s breakthrough on a national scale occurred in the late thirties during appearances in Bahia, where audiences demanded five encores of a Martins melody that later became the samba-canção “Senhor do Bonfim,” which the trio itself cut in 1947. After departing Rádio Mayrink Veiga they moved to Rádio Clube do Brasil and in 1942 joined the roster of Rádio Nacional. The original trio ended in 1950 with the couple’s separation. Martins then brought singer Noemi Cavalcanti into the fold for a new chapter that lasted until 1952, when further personnel shifts took place. The resulting configuration—Martins, Raul Sampaio, and Lourdinha Bittencourt—secured a contract with Rádio Nacional and traveled through Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru while scoring successes with numbers such as “Sereno,” “Índia,” and “Saudades da Mangueira.” This final edition disbanded permanently in 1957.
The group’s breakthrough on a national scale occurred in the late thirties during appearances in Bahia, where audiences demanded five encores of a Martins melody that later became the samba-canção “Senhor do Bonfim,” which the trio itself cut in 1947. After departing Rádio Mayrink Veiga they moved to Rádio Clube do Brasil and in 1942 joined the roster of Rádio Nacional. The original trio ended in 1950 with the couple’s separation. Martins then brought singer Noemi Cavalcanti into the fold for a new chapter that lasted until 1952, when further personnel shifts took place. The resulting configuration—Martins, Raul Sampaio, and Lourdinha Bittencourt—secured a contract with Rádio Nacional and traveled through Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru while scoring successes with numbers such as “Sereno,” “Índia,” and “Saudades da Mangueira.” This final edition disbanded permanently in 1957.
Albums
