Fado Route

19 September 1975 (Singer and composer)

Born in Beja, he grew up listening to a genre of music called cante alentejano (polyphonic singing from Alentejo). Although he began singing fado at a very young age, this influence has never left him and gives his singing and compositions a very distinctive tone. This originality has made him stand out on the musical scene. In 2006, he won the Amália Rodrigues Prize, awarded by the foundation by the same name, for best male singer. With two of his albums awarded the "Top of the World Album" prize in 2008 and 2010 by the British magazine Songlines and his album Guia ranked as one of the top 50 albums of 2010 by the French magazine Mondonix, Zambujo has established himself as one of the leading names in World Music.

6 February 1924 (Singer)

Owner of the emblematic restaurant Parreirinha de Alfama, a venue for performances by major names from the world of fado, Argentina Santos never planned on becoming a fado singer. But one day, as a dare, she was challenged to sing. The audience applauded so much that she carried on singing and, without really noticing, her artistic career began. With her own repertoire of songs and lyrics composed by writers who frequented her restaurant, Argentina sang for 50 years beside almost all of the most important fado singers.

11 October 1891 - 21 December 1946 (Guitarist and composer)

A legend within the world of Portuguese guitar, he developed a technique that allowed him to adapt the instrument to the voice and style of the singer he was accompanying. In this way, the singing qualities of the artists he played with were brought to the fore, while also bringing the musicians out of the subordinate role they were generally reduced to. Besides being an excellent perfomer, Armandinho also wrote the lyrics to many fado songs which have survived to this day.

21 August 1939 - 26 November 2015 (Singer)

She was born and lived in Porto until the day when, on a visit to Lisbon, she entered one of the most famous fado houses in the city and got up to sing. And she was hired on the spot. Full of energy, her repertoire was very varied, but it is in the more dramatic songs that the power of her voice was most evident.

20 December 1966 (Singer)

One of the most renowned figures of his generation, Camané came to attention at the age of 12 when he won the "Grande Noite do Fado" competition. Although he considers himself a fado singer, he likes to diversify into other musical styles. He has performed, with always increasing popularity, in fado houses, on TV programmes, in musicals and even on film, namely the film Fados by the Spanish director Carlos Saura. In 2005, the Fundação Amália Rodrigues awarded him the prize for best male fado singer.