Fausto (), OL, born Carlos Fausto Bordalo Gomes Dias; 26 November 1948 in Atlantic Ocean, registered in , Trancoso, is a Portuguese composer and singer.

Biography

Although he was born aboard the ship Pátria when traveling between

mainland Portugal Continental Portugal ( pt, Portugal continental, ) or mainland Portugal comprises the bulk of the Portuguese Republic, namely that part on the Iberian Peninsula and so in Continental Europe, having approximately 95% of the total population and 9 ...

and then

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

, Fausto Bordalo Dias was registered in

Vila Franca das Naves Vila may refer to: People *Vila (surname) Places Andorra * Vila, Andorra, a town in the parish of Encamp Brazil * Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, a municipality in the State of Mato Grosso * Vila Boa, Goiás, a municipality in the State of ...

, Trancoso. It was in the former Portuguese overseas province of Angola that he formed his first band, Os Rebeldes. There, to the musicality of his Beira origin, he assimilated African rhythms. At 20, in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, where he settled in order to continue his studies - he graduated in political and social sciences at the then called Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Política Ultramarina, later renamed to Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas which belongs now to

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; pt, Universidade de Lisboa, ) is a public research university in Lisbon, and the largest university in Portugal. It was founded in 2013, from the merger of two previous public universities located in Lisbon, th ...

- he released his first album, Fausto, with which he won the Revelation Award in 1969. Within the associative movement in Lisbon, he got close to names like

José Afonso José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos (2 August 1929 – 23 February 1987), known professionally as José Afonso and also popularly known as Zeca Afonso or simply Zeca, was a Portuguese singer-songwriter. One of the most influential folk and ...

Adriano Correia de Oliveira Adriano Maria Correia Gomes de Oliveira, GCIH, ComL, or just Adriano (April 9, 1942 – October 16, 1982) was a Portuguese musician, born to a conservative Roman Catholic family in Porto. His family moved to Avintes after his birth. He went to C ...

, Manuel Freire, together with

José Mário Branco José Mário Branco (25 May 1942 – 19 November 2019) was a Portuguese singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer. Biography José Mário Branco was born in Porto, the son of primary school teachers, and became politically involved in the ...

or Luís Cília, who were living in exile. During the

Portuguese Colonial War The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...

he was conscripted to the theatre of military operations in

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...

and by refusing to perform military service he became a military absentee. After the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...

of 1974, he distanced himself from PREC-inspired

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

and embraced Portuguese traditional music with strong influences from traditional music of Minho, Beira and

Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Trás-os-Montes () is a geographical, historical and cultural region of Portugal. Portuguese language, Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in an highland, upland area, landlocked by the Douro ...

regions.Primeira Pessoa, Fausto Bordalo Dias, Episode 14, May 10, 2021, RTP https://www.rtp.pt/play/p7801/e543401/primeira-pessoa On July 8, 1997, he offered one of his most remarkable concerts, celebrating the 500th anniversary of

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

's departure to India, on the same day in 1497, at the invitation of the National Commission for the Commemorations of the

Portuguese Discoveries Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...

. Author of 12 recordings, recorded between 1970 and 2011 (ten originals, one re-recorded compilation and one live record), he is currently an important name in Portuguese music and in popular music in particular. His work has been revisited by names such as, among others,

Mafalda Arnauth Mafalda Arnauth (born October 1974) is a Portuguese people, Portuguese fado singer. Life and career Arnauth was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in October 1974, and her career began in 1995 when she was invited by João Braga to participate in a con ...

Né Ladeiras A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth r ...

Pedro Moutinho Pedro da Silva Moutinho (born 9 September 1979) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career in Scotland with Falkirk (three spells, 161 overall appearances and 23 goals). Professionally, other ...

Teresa Salgueiro Maria Teresa de Almeida Salgueiro OIH () is a Portuguese singer. She is best known as the lead singer of Madredeus from 1987 until 2007. She also appeared in Wim Wenders' film '' Lisbon Story.'' Career Salgueiro joined Madredeus after other m ...

Cristina Branco Cristina Branco (born 28 December 1972 in Almeirim, Ribatejo, Portugal) is a Portuguese musician. She was drawn to jazz and styles of Portuguese music before settling on fado, a choice made after being introduced to the music of Amália Rodrig ...

, Marco Oliveira and

Ana Moura Ana Cláudia Moura Pereira (born 17 September 1979), known as Ana Moura, is a Portuguese fado singer. An internationally recognized singer, she was the youngest fadista to be nominated for a Dutch Edison Award. Early life and career Ana Mour ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Fausto'' (1970) * ''P'ró Que Der e Vier'' (1974) * ''Beco com saída'' (1975) * ''Madrugada dos Trapeiros'' (1977) * ''Histórias de Viajeiros'' (1979) * ''Por Este Rio Acima'' (1982) * ''O despertar dos alquimistas'' (1985) * ''Para além das cordilheiras'' (1987) * ''A preto e branco'' (1988) * ''Crónicas da terra ardente'' (1994) * ''A Ópera Mágica do Cantor Maldito'' (2003) * ''Em Busca das Montanhas Azuis'' (2011)

Singles and EPs

* ''Fausto'' (EP) (1969) * ''Guerra do Mirandum'' (1984)

Compilation albums

* ''O Melhor dos Melhores'' (1994) * ''Atrás dos Tempos Vêm Tempos'' (1996) * ''Grande Grande É a Viagem'' (live) (1999) * ''18 canções de amor e mais uma de ressentido protesto'' (2007)

Collaborations

* ''Três Cantos '' (live) with

and

Sérgio Godinho Sérgio de Barros Godinho OL (; born 31 August 1945) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, composer, actor, poet and author. Considered one of the most influential popular musicians in Portugal, Godinho started his music career singing folk songs o ...

(2009)

Awards

* 9 June 1994 – Order of Liberty * 1988 –

award

References

Viriato Teles Viriato may refer to: * Viriathus Viriathus (also spelled Viriatus; known as Viriato in Portuguese and Spanish; died 139 BC) was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hisp ...

, 2 December 1994) (pt)
Interview with Fausto Bordalo Dias (from the book ''Contas à Vida'' by Viriato Teles, 2005)
(pt)
Dutch fan page about Fausto Bordalo Dias
(en)
O cantor maldito (Unofficial Blog)
(pt)
FAUSTO Bordalo Dias (Unofficial Blog)
(pt) 1948 births Living people 20th-century Portuguese male singers Portuguese songwriters Male songwriters Portuguese male writers 21st-century Portuguese male singers People born at sea {{Portugal-writer-stub