Biography
António Calvário was a Portuguese singer, born in Maputo, Mozambique. At the age of 8 he moved to Portugal with his family. His first performance for national radio was in 1957. In 1960, he won the Portuguese Song Contest in Porto with the song “Regresso”. He was able to release his first EP now, together with Maria de Lourdes Resende. A year later, he won the title ‘King of the radio’ and kept on working with Maria de Lourdes Resende. In 1962 he scored two big hits, “Desse Amor Melhor” and “Perdão para Dois”. A year later he debuts in theatre.
António Calvário was the first Portuguese singer ever to represent Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest, back in 1964, with the song “Oração”. He participated in the national selection five times in a row, but never managed to win a second time. He also played in a movie called “Rapazes de Táxis”. In 1968, another movie followed. António Calvário and Simone de Oliveira record an EP with versions of the movie “My Fair Lady”. In 1969, he represented Portugal in the OTI Festival and had a big hit with “Chorona”. In the same year, Calvário produced a film.
In the early 1970s, António Calvário concentrated on singing in nightclubs and cabarets, until he made a comeback in 1977.
In 2003 the biography “António Calvário – A Canção de Uma Vida” was written by journalist Luis Guimarães.
