Carlos Ramos

He was born in 1907 in Lisbon and passed away in 1969. , Around 1944, he debuted at Cafe Luso, in Bairro Alto, then performing "Senhora do Monte", his first great success. In 1959 he opened his own Fado house.

A genuine and typical “alfacinha”, Carlos Ramos, with incredible romantic edge, was one of the popular fado singers, popular with the general Portuguese audience. He had a harmonious and warm voice, which dominated just as he wanted and yet held a modest and discreet posture. He was able to launch a full time artistic career, during which he recorded major hits, especially at the beginning of the sixties, using radio as one of his main avenues. From street to street you could hear everyone bellowing: "Nao venhas tarde..."

However-and few remember this small detail- despite his love for fado starting very early in childhood, it was only later, that he embraced fado professionally. Carlos Ramos appreciated and enjoyed singing Fado in the small taverns of Alcantara, a typical Lisbon neighbourhood where he was born in 1907. He began his fado life as an accompanying guitarist; he learned to play the Portuguese guitar during adolescence, while also fulfilling his responsibilities as a secondary school student. He also started studying medicine, but the accidental death of his father, forced him to immediately search for work to support his family. He devoted himself to radio, a speciality that he learned during his military service and in which he succeeded in professionally in order to earn a living. However, he continued to play and sing in his free time, establishing an excellent partnership with Ercília Costa on a tour they both did throughout the Americas.

Distinguishing himself as the performer who accompanied himself on guitar, and advised by Filipe Pinto, around 1944, he debuted at Cafe Luso, in Bairro Alto, then performing "Senhora do Monte", his first great success. At a given time in his career, he took a step and decided to dedicate himself, exclusively, to singing the fado. He performed the genre that at the time was widely used on the Portuguese stage. Hence his successes "Nao venhas tarde" and "Canto o Fado."

He frequented the typical fado houses of Lisbon during the forties and fifties; he also participated, with great satisfaction, in theatre and in movies. In 1952, he became the exclusive artist at "Tipóia", with Adelina Ramos at his side. Seven years later, in 1959, he decided to open his own fado house, "A Toca", an experience that came to last very little time. He suffered a heart condition that came about in the middle of the sixties and forced him to finish with his artistic life; he passed away some years later, in 1969.