Agostinho dos Santos was born on 25 April 1932, in São Paulo-SP. He had a beautiful voice and started singing as a crooner for orchestras when he was 18 years old. Soon he landed a contrat with Star Records that released his first 78 rpm: 'Rasga teu verso' in 1953.
In 1955, Agostinho was signed by German giant label Polydor. In 1956, he recorded 'Meu benzinho', a cover of Frankie Laine's 'My little one' which went straight to # 1 in the charts. Agostinho was a star overnight and he never looked back.
In 1958, he went over to RGE, the hottest new Brazilian label where he recorded 'Balada triste' which also hit # 1 .
In 1958, Agostinho provided his singing voice to actor Breno Mello who played the main-title in 'Black Orpheus', a French production shot in Rio de Janeiro in 1958, based on 'Orfeu da Conceição', a theatre-play written by Vinícius de Moraes & Antonio Carlos Jobim's. Marcel Camus' 'Orfeu Negro' (Black Orpheus) went on to win the prestigious Cannes Festival in 1959 and Hollywood's Academy Award for best foreign film for 1959.
Breno Mello mime the words for 'Manhã de Carnaval'... while Agostinho do Santos sings it.
The album with the 'Black Orpheus' sound-track sold hundreds of thousands worldwide. 'Manhã de Carnaval', written by Luiz Bonfá & Antonio Maria especially for the film version of the play became universally known being recorded by the likes of Joan Baez, Frank Sinatra, Jack Jones, Perry Como, Stan Getz etc. Ironically, Antonio Carlos Jobim had been the original song writer of all songs except 'Manhã de Carnaval' (and 'Samba do Orfeu') that ended up being the most important in the film version.
As a result of his work in the film, Agostinho dos Santos received offers to appear in night-clubs, theaters, and on TV worldwide.
Black Orpheus - Soundtrack - SRF 67520 - Fontana Records Stereo
This impressionistic score from Marcel Camus's 1958 cinematic retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus was most Americans' introduction to the Brazilian musical style called Bossa Nova. As it became a nationwide craze that featured both Brazilian samba and U.S. cool-jazz participants, the names of Black Orpheus composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá became familiar far beyond the Hi-Fi set.
Along with the haunting theme song, "Manhã de Carnaval," and several Jobim compositions are the vibrant street sounds of the pre-Lenten festival Carnaval, which provides the backdrop to the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The score is awash with percussive samba rhythms and the laughter and chanting of the annual festival melee. This is a great disc to play when the day needs a parade. Lois Maffeo
back cover
Marpessa Dawn & Breno Mello in 'Orfeu Negro'
In 1962, Agostinho dos Santos was invited by the Brazilian Foreign Office Itamaraty to be part of a show organized by Audio-Fidelity and the Brazilian government at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York in 21 November 1962.
Agostinho was probably the only name recognized by the 3,000-people crowd that packed the Hall on the Wednesday night, because of his voice being the one heard in the sound-track of 1958's Academy Award winner 'Black Orpheus'.
The night's show-stopper was actually 'Manhã de carnaval' that Agostinho sang accompanied by the very man who wrote it: Luiz Bonfá.
Agostinho in Chile.
Cauby Peixoto, Angela Maria, Zé Trindade & Agostinho dos Santos at 'Flagrantes do Radio' in 1957.
Carlos José, Henrique Gandelman, Agostinho dos Santos & arranger Valdomiro Lemke at Polydor.
Agostinho sings at TV Paulista, channel 5.
Vinicius de Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim & Agostinho dos Santos at Tom's weekly show on TV Paulista, Channel 5.
Antonio Carlos Jobim at his 'O bom Tom' on TV Paulista in 1960.
Agostinho sings at TV Paulista on 2nd December 1956 (Correio da Manhã).
Radiolandia reports on Agostinho's new popularity in Europe after the release of 'Black Orpheus'.
Radiolandia #150, 1957.
left to right: Bob Stewart, Elza Laranjeira, Randal Juliano, Maysa & Agostinho dos Santos at Maysa's house in 1957.
at the same night in 1957: Paulo Werneck, Elza Laranjeira, orchestra conductor Enrico Simonetti, Copacabana Records A&R man Nazareno de Brito, Agostinho dos Santos, Maysa and Leônidas Bastos from Radiolândia.
Agostinho was one of the first Brazilian acts to have a weekly show - every Wednesday at 8:00 pm - at TV Excelsior, Channel 9, the best TV station in the country, in 1961.
Agostinho dos Santos acknowledge the applause he got from singing 'Manhã de carvanal' accompanied by Luiz Bonfá, its author.
EP released by RGE with Agostinho doing those bossa-nova songs he performed at the Carnegie Hall in 21 November 1962. The record was done in 1963, in São Paulo with arrangements by Erlon Chaves.
1. Desafinado (Jobim-Newton Mendonça); 2. Sambossa (Agostinho dos Santos-Ayres dos Santos); 3. Samba de uma nota só (Jobim-Mendonça); 4. Barquinho (Boscoli-Menescal).
Artists: Miltinho Banana, Luiz Bonfá, Ico Castro-Neves, Oscar Castro-Neves, Carmen Costa, Chico Feitosa, Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Ana Lucia, Carlos Lyra, Gary McFarland, Sérgio Mendes, Roberto Menescal, José Paulo, Roberto Ponte, Sérgio Ricardo, Normando Santos, Agostinho dos Santos Lalo Schifrin, Bola Sete, Percy Wilcox, and Caetano Zama
Bossa nova was largely unknown in popular music circles outside of Brazil—and even within Brazil, as related by Gilberto Gil —when a lineup of Brazilian music superstars—including João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá, and Sérgio Mendes—teamed up with American saxophonist Stan Getz and about 15 other musicians to roll the lilting fusion of Brazilian samba and West Coast "cool jazz" onto one of the biggest concert stages in the world.
Presented by Audio Fidelity Records and Show Magazine, bossa nova classics performed that night included "Outra Vez" in the whisper-soft voice of Gilberto and Jobim's rendition of "Samba de uma nota só." In addition to presenting the new sound to North America and to the world, the concert also gave birth to the iconic Getz/Gilberto ensemble—that included Jobim and Miltinho Banana from the night's lineup—whose debut release took bossa nova to an even higher level of international recognition when released in 1964.
3,000 pessoas super-lotaram o Carnegie Hall e aplaudiram todos os artistas brasileiros, e tendo algum deles, como foi o caso de Luiz Bonfá e Agostinho dos Santos - sido mesmo ovacionados. Sylvio Tullio Cardoso - for 'O Globo'.
3,000 pessoas super-lotaram o Carnegie Hall e aplaudiram todos os artistas brasileiros, e tendo algum deles, como foi o caso de Luiz Bonfá e Agostinho dos Santos - sido mesmo ovacionados. Sylvio Tullio Cardoso - for 'O Globo'.
Agostinho ready for action...
Agostinho left a career as a footballer when he chose to sing professionally.
Agostinho's 1st album back-cover with liner notes by an unknown writer:
Agostinho dos Santos é, antes de tudo, um sinônimo de personalidade. Agostinho aprendeu a cantar pela melhor escola: começou como 'crooner' de orquestras. Contou com a enorme felicidade de encontrar em seu destino a excelente orquestra de Osmar Milani.
Agostinho é muito jovem ainda. Cantou em orquestras, 'boites' e em todo e qualquer programa de calouros que apareceu em seu caminho. Em 1954, fez sua estréia na Radio América. Sua voz foi notada com agrado. 'O rapaz canta diferente', diziam. Em 1955, passou para a Radio Nacional paulista.
Suas gravações foram tão bem recebidas pelo público discófilo, que a Polydor resolveu preparar o presente LP. Todas orquestrações estiveram à cargo do maestro Enrico Simonetti, responsável por uma das melhores orquestras do Brasil.
Walter Forster, diretor artístico da Radio Nacional paulista é o locutor que nos impressiona quando diz aqueles versinhos de Nazareno de Brito, muito bem encaixados, na bonita 'Meu benzinho'.
Agostinho's 1st EP containing: 1. Canção do mar; 2.; É tão gostoso amar; 3. Meu benzinho; 4. Pif paf.
Canta Agostinho dos Santos - Una voz y sus sucesos.
Agostinho Vol. 6 - French EP: '1. Esquecimento; 2. Desolação; 3. Três Marias; 4. Foi a noite; Agostinho Vol. 8 - French EP: 1. Eu não existo sem você; 2. Por causa de você; 3. Faz mal p'ra mim; 4. Crepúsculo.
Album recorded in Lisbon in 1967, when Agostinho was on holiday in Portugal and met Yansã Quartet an instrumental Brazilian group who were on tour. The LP was released by Rozenblit's Lecla label. Some of the songs are: 'Vem chegando a madrugada' (Adail Paula-Noel Rosa Oliveira), 'Tristeza' (Haroldo Lobo-Niltinho), 'Mulata é a noite' (A.Tavares da Silva-A.Maria Mascarenhas) and 'Outra vez' (Jorge Costa Pinto-Antonio José).
A bordo do Princesa Leopoldina, primeiro navio brasileiro a cruzar o Atlântico rumo à Europa em 1966. Sentados, da esquerda à direita: Agostinho dos Santos, Vera Lúcia Couto, Miss Brazil 1964 e Alda Perdigão. Os outros não consigo identificar. Empresário Brancato Junior, em pé entre Agostinho e Vera Lúcia, organizava os shows apresentados no night-club do navio, tendo Agostinho, Alda, Juca Chaves, pianista Laércio de Freitas e Os Incríveis, conjunto de rock. Anselmo Duarte fazia a parte de mestre-de-cerimônias.
Agostinho dos Santos & Jayne Mansfield.
Vera Lucia Couto, Miss Brazil 1964 & Agostinho.
1971 - Agostinho eagerly points his finger to Jairzinho (Jair Ventura) one of the stars of the 1970 Brazilian national team who won FIFA's World Cup.
'Apenas uma Rosa' b/w 'Santo Domingo' CS-50.168 released by Continental in 1969 saw actor Walter Forster joining Agostinho again after so long. Forster had recited verses on Agostinho's first big hit 'Meu benzinho' (My little one) in 1956.
'O amor está no ar' written by Agostinho & Joab Teixeira b/w 'Deixar de mim p'ra ser você' written by Agostinho & his daughter Nancy dos Santos released by Sinter is probably his last release before his untimely death. It charted well in 1972.
Agostinho in Paris.
Nancy dos Santos has got a bar called 'Ferradura' in São Bernardo do Campo-SP where she keeps her Father's memory alive.
Agostinho dos Santos had an appointment in Samarra in 1973 - a reference to famous John O'Hara's 1934's novel about fatalism.
Agostinho was a passenger on Varig Flight 820, traveling from Galeão, Rio de Janeiro to Orly Airport, Paris, on 11 July 1973, when a fire on board the airplane caused it to make an emergency landing in a field not far from the airport. Agostinho was among the 123 fatalities.
to read more about the plane crash go to:
Paris, 11 July 1973.
Agostinho's death as reported by magazine 'Amiga', 24 July 1973.
Agostinho was to sing his own 'Paz sem cor' (Peace without colour) at Athens's VI Song Olimpics.
Nancy dos Santos with her father a few days before he flew to Paris.
When news about the crash in Paris hit the media some people thought Martinho da Vila and guitar virtuosa Rosinha de Valença were also in the same flight but Mr Da Vila was already in Madrid, Spain.
