The Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, expressed sorrow on Thursday over the passing of record producer Mário Martins, acknowledging his “great sensitivity in launching several major names in Portuguese music” and extended her “condolences to family and friends.”
“Mário Martins, the record producer who, with great sensitivity, launched several major names in Portuguese music, has died,” the minister wrote on the social media platform X.
“My condolences to the family, friends, and all the artists who worked with him over the past decades,” she added.
Mário Martins, it should be noted, passed away today at the age of 90 in a hospital in Lisbon, according to a source from the Casa do Artista, where he lived, as revealed to the Lusa news agency.
Morreu Mário Martins, o produtor discográfico que, com grande sensibilidade, lançou vários nomes grandes da música portuguesa. As minhas condolências à família, amigos e todos os artistas que com ele trabalharam nas últimas décadas.
— Margarida B Lopes (@margaridalopes) August 14, 2025
Mário Martins was instrumental in bringing names like Carlos Paião (1945-1988), José Cid, Marco Paulo (1945-2024), and Rui Veloso to public attention.
In the late 1970s, Mário Martins played a pivotal role in securing António Variações (1944-1984) a contract with the record label Valentim de Carvalho, his name also being associated with the careers of numerous other Portuguese artists, from Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999) to Simone de Oliveira and Frei Hermano da Câmara.
The record producer always prioritized “the professional aspect, but there were cases where a friendship was built,” as he stated in an interview with the Lusa agency last decade, citing the declaimer Maria Germana Tânger and musician José Cid, who always invited him to attend his performances, and singer José Alberto Reis as examples.
The record producer Mário Martins, who passed away today at the age of 90, left a significant mark on 20th-century Portugal by introducing musicians like Carlos Paião, José Cid, Marco Paulo, and Rui Veloso.
Lusa | 17:02 – 14/08/2025
José Cid recalled Mário Martins as a “crucial” figure in Portuguese music for the support he provided to many artists.
“He is crucial in Portuguese music, providing much support to many colleagues and myself, so it was unconditional,” stated José Cid, in comments to Lusa.
The voice behind hits such as ‘Cai Neve em Nova Iorque’, ‘A Minha Música’, and ‘Ontem, Hoje e Amanhã’ recalled that Mário Martins “produced many, many, many artists and helped them.”
“In the 1960s, I had the greatest difficulties getting into any Portuguese label. It was Mário Martins who opened his arms to me and placed me, even in a priority spot, at Valentim de Carvalho, where he was the artistic director,” José Cid remembered.
The producer was a “staunch defender” of the musician’s creativity, having “often fought, even within the label, against some opposing opinions.”
“He was a person who stood by my side unconditionally. Afterwards, our relationship was always one of great friendship. Mário Martins was a very intelligent, very cultured man. A bit, sometimes amusingly sarcastic,” he shared.
