Amalia Rodrigues

Portuguese Fadista, one of the best-known Fado singers on the international stage, sometimes called the "Voice of Portugal's Soul" . The "Queen of Fado" reigned from 1939 through the 1980s and even to 1990. One of ten children born to her impoverished parents, she was left in the care of a maternal grandmother. As a young teen, she could earn some money with her embroidery skills but she liked to sing and early on had exhibited talent. In 1935 she entered one singing contest and entered another in 1938. She made her debut on stage in 1939. In 1944 she traveled to Brazil to sing there and her international career had taken root. In 1945 she released her first record and two years later starred in the film"Black Capes." The late 1940s and early 1950s brought her to stages in Paris, London, New York and countries in Africa. After decades of singing, recording, traveling, she sang in public for the last time in 1994. She married Francisco Cruz in 1940 but divorced him six years later. In 1961 she married César Seabra; he died in 1997. There were no children from either marriage. Her health declined visibly in the mid-1990s. The great singer who had introduced the world to Fado music, died on October 6, 1999 in Lisbon. Link to Wikipedia biography