Ildo Lobo (November 25, 1953 – October 20, 2004) was a

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

an singer. His versatile and melodic voice, commanding stage presence and trademark

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...

s made him one of the most recognizable performers in Cape Verde."Ildo Lobo, Cape Verde's Greatest Male Singer Passed Away" at ''World Music Central''
Always well known throughout the Cape Verde Islands, Lobo rose to international fame with his first solo work, "''Nôs Morna''", following it with another album "''Intellectual''".

Biography

Lobo was born on the island of Sal in the town of

Pedra de Lume Pedra de Lume is a village in the northeastern part of the island of Sal, Cape Verde, Sal, Cape Verde. The village is situated on the east coast, about 5 km east of the island capital Espargos. It has a small port and a lighthouse, Farol de Pe ...

, where he worked alongside his family in the local

salt mines Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. The mined salt is usually in the form of halite (commonly known as rock salt), and extracted from evaporite formations. History Before the advent of the modern internal combustio ...

during his youth. When the Cape Verdian salt industry died down, Lobo was forced to find other means of work. Luckily for Lobo, music was his first love. His voice would put him in constant demand at local bars and music festivals. Lobo's musical talent would eventually place the island of Sal permanently on the Cape Verdian musical map to rival the islands of Santiago, São Vicente, and São Nicolau as bona fide origins of Cape Verdian talent. Lobo consummately mastered most styles of Cape Verdian music, but he was best known on stage for his effortless, soul-stirring ''mornas''. He could also arouse the crowd with his hard-hitting coladeras. Lobo, as an adult, moved to

Praia Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

, Santiago Island (Cape Verde's capital) where he attended

Liceu Domingos Ramos Liceu Domingos Ramos is a public secondary school in the northern part of the city centre (Plateau) of Praia, Cape Verde. , it has 2,300 students, 63 classes and 110 teachers. It was established as ''Liceu Adriano Moreira'' in 1960. In 1975, at the ...

and later began his career as vocalist of the band

Os Tubarões Os Tubarões was a Cape Verdean traditional music band who, along with Bulimundo, Finaçon and Simentera, were among the most famous music bands in Cape Verde. The band name is Portuguese for "the sharks" which are common in the waters surround ...

("The Sharks"). After his stellar multi-album career with Os Tubarões, Lobo launched his solo career with his acclaimed album ''Nôs Morna'' launched in 1996, the album was produced by Mário Lúcio of the Simentera band, it was recorded at

Lusafrica Lusafrica, full name: Productions Lusafrica (French for ''Lusafrica Productions'') is a multinational independent record label company based in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1988 by José da Silva (born in 1959 in Praia, Cape Verde), ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Ildo Lobo along with

Fantcha Fantcha (born Francelina Durão Almeida on October 14, 1965) is a Cape Verdean singer. Biography Fantcha was born as Francelina Durão Almeida in chã De Alecrim on São Vicente Island, Cape Verde. She grew up singing in a musically rich ho ...

performed in Paris at a concert on 27 March 1998. His second album was ''Intellectual'' released in 2001 and featured the greatest singer

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011), more commonly known as Cize, was a Cape Verdean singer-songwriter. She received a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album '' Voz d'Amor''. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing withou ...

. Like many Cape Verdian musicians of his day, Lobo maintained a full-time job as an airport customs officer despite having a busy traveling concert and studio recording schedule. His last work, ''Incondicional'', was released in October 2004, a few days after his death in Praia at age 51."Cape Verde mourns Creole singer Ildo Lobo"
at afrol News Most sources state that he died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, but some Cape Verdian sources claim that he died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

related complications. Lobo's popularity was such that all public employees in the city of Praia were given the afternoon off to mourn. In his island birthplace, Sal, all government offices were closed and flags were flown at half-staff for three days. His last album was produced by the keyboardist

Fernando "Nando" Andrade Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

. According to worldmusiccentral.com, "Lobo was one of those men whose political message was inseparably linked to the musical expression and poetry of mornas" and the site named Lobo "Cape Verde's Greatest Male Singer." Lobo's death in 2004 sparked mourning throughout the world music scene and throughout the vastly diasporized Cape Verdian population of over 1 million, who, despite living in far away communities in

;

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

;

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 ...

; and the American states of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, still maintain close language, cultural and familial bonds to their beloved islands.

Legacy

A cultural palace is named after in the Cape Verdean capital city of

Praia Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

in the neighborhood of the

Plateau of Praia ''Plateau'' is the historic centre of the capital city of Praia in the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. It gets its name (from French “plateau”) because it is situated on a plateau overlooking the port of Praia. Its average elevation is 37 ...

located at Avenida Amílcar Cabral west of Albuquerque Square.

Discography

With Os Tubarões

Albums

*''Pepe Lopi'' (1976) *''Tchon di Morgado'' (1976) *''Djonsinho Cabral'' (1978) *''Tabanca'' (1980) *''Tema para dois'' (1982) *''Os Tubarões'' (1990) *''Os Tubarões ao vivo'' (1993) *''Porton d' nôs ilha'' (1994)

Singles

*"Apocalypse" *"Biografia d' um criol", in the album ''Djonsinho Cabral'' (1978), originally by

Manuel de Novas Manuel d' Novas (February 24, 1938 — September 28, 2009) was a Cape Verdean poet and composer. Biography Manuel Jesus Lopes was born in Penha da França, one of the neighbourhoods of Ribeira Grande on the island of Santo Antão, he became one ...

*"Tabanca", in the album ''Tabanca'' (1980)

As a solo artist

Albums

*''Nôs morna'' (1996) *''Intellectual'' (2001) *''Incondicional'' (2004)

Singles

*"Nha berçu", in the album ''Nôs morna'' (1996), originally by Betú *"Paródia familiar", in the album ''Incondicional'' (2004), originally by Alcides Spencer Brito

Recordings and tracks by other artists

*One of the sample used in a track in the album ''

Preto no Branco ''Preto no Branco'' (literally "black on white") was Boss AC's fourth album released on 16 March 2009 in Portugal. It celebrates fifteen years of his career from his first album Rapública (or Rapublic). The album features appearances by Olavo ...

'' (2009) bu the rapper

Boss AC Ângelo César do Rosário Firmino, better known by the stage name Boss AC (born January 20, 1975) is a Portugal, Portuguese rapper originally from Cape Verde. The letters A and C, in Boss AC, come from the initials of his two names, Ângelo and C ...

References

External links

Official site"Cape Verde mourns Creole singer Ildo Lobo"
at afrol News
"Ildo Lobo, Cape Verde's Greatest Male Singer Passed Away" at ''World Music Central''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lobo, Ildo 1953 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Cape Verdean male singers Morna (music) singers Coladeira singers People from Sal, Cape Verde

Biography

Legacy

Discography

With Os Tubarões

Albums

Singles

As a solo artist

Albums

Singles

Recordings and tracks by other artists

References

Further reading

External links