Carlos Guedes de Amorim

Carlos Guedes de Amorim was born in Santarém on December 28, 1945. He lived his childhood with his parents who admired and listened to the discography of several fado singers, with special emphasis on Amália Rodrigues and, although he was not an appreciator, Carlos Guedes de Amorim he became involved in this musical form, to which also contributed the bond of friendship that united his family to the poetess Maria Manuel Cid.

His life in the world of Fado is still for him truly amazing. Carlos Guedes de Amorim listened to his first Amália Fados at home with his parents who were great fans of this type of music. Little by little he was getting involved in this new reality due to his friendship with the poetess Maria Manuel Cid, who used to organise festivities in his hometown (Chamusca), and amateur Fado gatherings with Teresa Tarouca, Mercês da Cunha Rego, João Ferreira-Rosa, and António Melo Correia, among others.

On his 14th birthday he goes to a Fado house (casa de fados) for the first time, the "Márcia Condessa". He then surrenders to a Fado consciousness that pushes him to listen, learn and search for repertoire. He joins a group of friends and starts recording Fado at a local radio station - the Rádio Ribatejo – and performing in several festivities and popular associations, thus becoming known in that region.

Ho moved to Lisbon to study architecture, applied to Emissora Nacional, and had his debut in “Nova Onda” by Maria Leonor. His name is now well known and he gets to a turning point and has to decide whether to sign up with a recording company – with shows and record releases. Carlos Guedes de Amorim decides to maintain his amateurship continuing, nevertheless, to perform at amateur Fado houses: "Galito", "Estribo", "Cartola", "Arreda". It is within that friendly environment of singers, poets and musicians that he meets João Braga, Francisco Stoffel, Rodrigo, José Pracana, D. Vicente da Câmara, and of course Alfredo Marceneiro and Maria Teresa de Noronha.

With a careful choice of repertoire, namely by Maria Manuel Cid and Manuel de Andrade, combined with a stunning voice in terms of tone and rhythm, Carlos Guedes de Amorim reveals enough sobriety and fame to release 4 records and be included in the collection "Biografias do Fado", released by EMI-Valentim de Carvalho in 2004.

Always trying to reconcile the Fado with his professional practice as an architect, Carlos Guedes de Amorim has appeared in various TV shows and in several domestic and international stages, namely in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Telaviv, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Lourenço Marques, Macau, and Hong Kong.

Creator of the hits like “Cavalo Alazão” (Maria Manuel Cid / Alfredo Duarte), Carlos Guedes de Amorim continues to be one of the most referenced figures in the fadista circuit.

Carlos Guedes de Amorim opted for architecture and nowadays he is responsible for several architectural projects, namely the Church of S. Domingos, in Santarém and the Pavilhão Multi-Usos Arena D'Évora.

Source:

Museu do Fado – Interview done on October 16, 2006.