Deolinda Rodrigues

Deolinda Rodrigues was born in Lisbon, in the former Telheiras Convent, on December 30, 1924, but prefered to celebrate her birthday on January 1 of each year.

Only 8 years old, Deolinda Rodrigues sang for fun at the Sociedade Recreativa da União Familiar de Telheiras. The fado singer considers that the great boost for her professional career occurred with the ranking in second place in a fado contest, the "Concurso da Primavera", organized by the newspaper "Diário Popular", where amateur and professional artists performed.

Her artistic debut is made through the businessman José Miguel and is reported in the newspaper Canção do Sul, where it reads: ”helped by Maria do Carmo Torres, her debut was on the 6th of March at Retiro dos Marialvas Deolinda Rodrigues who was very well received for the numerous assistance. ” (cf. “Canção do Sul”, November 1, 1944, p.16). From this moment on, Deolinda Rodrigues will appear as a professional in several fado spaces such as Baía, Vera Cruz, Café Mondego, Café Latino or Urca (at Feira Popular), among many others.

In 1947 Deolinda Rodrigues is invited to the theater and debuts in the magazine “Cartaz da Mouraria”, alongside Hermínia Silva, at the Teatro Apolo, where she interprets the theme "Severa", by Fernando Santos and Raul Ferrão. That same year, the Canção do Sul newspaper presented her on the cover of the March 16 edition where, under the title “Fado's Harmony Flower”, the most praises are made: “Those who like fado know that Deolinda sings it, as it should be sung: with feeling, melody and expression. In the soul of this girl, modest and unpretentious, the fadista ballad is a simple flower defoliating in petals of poetry ... ”(cf.“ Canção do Sul ”, 16 March 1947, p.3).

The connection between the singer and the magazine theater will continue with great success and will take the stage for operettas and magazines such as “Passarinho da Ribeira” (1947), “Fogo de Vistas”, taken to the scene at Teatro Maria Vitória (1950), “Já Vais Aí” (1956), “Lisboa em Festa” (1958), “Vamos à Lua”, “Viro Disco”, “Arraial de Lisboa” (1959) and “Sopa no Mel” (1965).

Encouraged by the singer José António, they propose exams for the National Broadcaster, with Nóbrega e Sousa being one of the members of the jury that approves it. Deolinda Rodrigues now has a weekly radio show.

As revealed in an interview, it was the result of the hearing of one of her radio programs, by the director Henrique Campos, that the interest in the fado singer for the filming of a new film arose. Deolinda Rodrigues will thus appear on cinema screens in 1950, opposite Alberto Ribeiro in the popular film “Cantiga da Rua”, directed by Henrique Campos. After this successful debut, Deolinda will return to the cinema in 1952, in the film "Madragoa", by Perdigão Queiroga and in 1956, under the direction of Artur Duarte, in the film "O Noivo das Caldas". Considered “the romantic couple of cinema and theater”, Deolinda Rodrigues and Alberto Ribeiro would star in one of the most successful pairs in the 50's.

After her marriage and the birth of her daughter, in the 50s, Deolinda Rodrigues decided to leave the artistic career for about two years. She would resume her activity again with participation in cinema, radio, television programs and an invitation to national and international tours.

Deolinda Rodrigues toured Brazil and Africa, the United States of America and Canada, with Rui Mascarenhas and, in 1965, moved back to shows in Africa, Venezuela and Brazil.

The film “Passarinho da Ribeira” (1960) by Augusto Fraga would once again reveal Deolinda Rodrigues as a film protagonist and the fado houses continue to be present in her artistic journey, with emphasis on Faia, Tipóia, where she was part of the cast during 12 years and the Painel do Fado, where she performed for 15 years.

In the 1980s, she debuted in the national television production “Um Solar Alfacinha” (1989), followed by her participation in the soap opera “Vidas de Sal” (1996). And, most recently, between June and November 2004, she regularly participated in the television program "Portugal no Coração".

On 2 October 2004, the "Associação das Colectividades do Concelho de Lisboa" paid tribute to her for her 60 years of career and, on 12 March 2005, the Lisbon City Council marked these decades dedicated to fado with a show at the Lisbon Forum, where Deolinda was cherished with the presence of friends like Anita Guerreiro, Maria Valejo, Marina Mota and Natércia Maria, among many others.

In 2007, she was awarded the Municipal Medal of Merit, Grau Prata by the Lisbon City Council, highlighting Deolinda Rodrigues as “an unavoidable name of the national song in the first half of the 20th century".

Deolinda passed away on October 10, 2015.

Source:

“Canção do Sul”, November 1, 1944;

“Canção do Sul”, January 16, 1947;

"Canção do Sul", of March 16, 1947;

“Ecos de Portugal”, June 1, 1947;

“Ecos de Portugal”, June 15, 1949;

"Flame", June 2, 1950;

“Eva”, September 1951;

“The Voice of Portugal”, June 13, 1957

Catalog of the tribute show to Deolinda Rodrigues, March 12, 2005.

Museu do Fado - Interview held on November 29, 2006.