Mário Martins, known for introducing prominent figures such as Carlos Paião, José Cid, Marco Paulo, and Rui Veloso to the public, passed away today at a Lisbon hospital, as confirmed by Casa do Artista, where he resided.
“He is crucial in Portuguese music, he offered significant support to many colleagues and myself unconditionally,” stated José Cid.
The artist, known for songs like ‘Cai Neve em Nova Iorque’, ‘A Minha Música’, and ‘Ontem, Hoje e Amanhã’, recalled that Mário Martins “produced many, many artists he helped.”
“In the 1960s, I struggled to get into any Portuguese record label. It was Mário Martins who embraced me and prioritized me at Valentim de Carvalho, where he was the artistic director,” José Cid remembered.
The producer was a “staunch defender” of the musician’s creativity and “often fought against opposing opinions even within the label.”
“He was unconditionally by my side. Our relationship was always one of great friendship. Mário Martins was very intelligent, very cultured, sometimes amusingly sarcastic,” he shared.
Mário Martins headed the Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department at the record label Valentim de Carvalho for about 30 years, starting in 1966, at the invitation of João Belchior Viegas, Amália Rodrigues’s agent.
His influence enabled Amália Rodrigues—referred to by Martins as “the true Portuguese miracle”—to record ‘O Senhor Extraterrestre’ by Carlos Paião in 1982, adding the artist to Valentim de Carvalho’s catalog.
The record producer always prioritized “the professional side, but in some cases, friendships were built,” such as with declaimer Maria Germana Tânger, musician José Cid, who consistently invited him to attend his shows, and singer José Alberto Reis.
In the late 1970s, Mário Martins was responsible for signing António Variações with Valentim de Carvalho, associating his name with many other Portuguese artists, from Amália Rodrigues to Simone de Oliveira and Frei Hermano da Câmara.
Martins produced records for Luís Goes, Fafá de Belém, Nuno da Câmara Pereira, Paco Bandeira, Carlos Paião, José Cid, Júlio Pereira, Jorge Palma, Grupo de Cantares de Manhouce, Alexandra, José da Câmara, Maria Teresa de Noronha, and Lucília do Carmo.
Apart from his work at Valentim de Carvalho, he collaborated with TV presenter Teresa Guilherme on RTP and later was invited by TV director José Nuno Martins to create a program on RTP.
On TVI, he was the author and presenter of ‘Fado Fadinho’ in 1993, which earned him a Prémio Bordalo.
In 1993, he left Valentim de Carvalho for Movieplay Portuguesa, where he coordinated the series ‘O Melhor dos Melhores’ in 1994, compiling hits from about 100 national artists.
