Mário Martins, the flame that fueled national music

He wasn't born to be a musician. He didn't have the voice, he used to say. But he took grains of sand scattered throughout the country and transformed them into iconic pearls of Portuguese music. It's almost impossible to find a legendary artist in Portugal who didn't receive a push, or a small touch, from him. And that was enough.

Record producer Mário Martins passed away on the 14th of this month, in a hospital unit in Lisbon, at the age of 90, a source from the Casa do Artista, where he lived, told Lusa news agency. In an interview with Antena 1, he described himself as "shy, shy as a prude." But the shy, the observant, the sensitive, and the attentive sometimes aim and hit where no one else can. Mário Martins was a musical navigator: he went from fado to rock, from the mainstream to the most unusual, even passing through the surrealists, in a series of recordings of Portuguese poetry, which included, among others, the contributions of Mário Cesariny.

He built a solid, genuine career, with a life of its own, and introduced the Portuguese to many of the voices that would, and will continue to, mark Portuguese music forever.

He was born in Lisbon in 1934, on a "poor little street, where everyone walked barefoot," he said in the same interview. How did this poor boy from the streets of Lisbon end up in music? "I don't know. I was always singing, whistling. And my father would tell me to be quiet. I'd go to the Coliseu on all fours, clinging to the railings to listen to it." He even asked his father for a piano because he loved music. The problem was that they lived in a small place, behind a grocery store: there was no room for pianos, music, or humming. He even took a business course and at 15 was already working in the wine business. But everything changes, and with the change came instruments, voices, songs, art. With it also came happiness, his childhood dream: music.

Names? There are many . "The people I discovered were many. We won't count them, there were many. All of them either made a career or were very happy in their careers. And I was very happy," he commented in another interview with SIC, when he was already living at the Artist's House. The truth is, there are indeed many. Mário Martins was the fuel that fueled names like Marco Paulo, 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, among others. A notable example is the incomparable Amália Rodrigues.

The producer was in charge of the Artists and Repertoire (A&R) department at the renowned record label Valentim de Carvalho for 30 years, where he began working in 1966 at the invitation of João Belchior Viegas, Amália Rodrigues' artistic agent, and who would later become a colleague and friend. Mário Martins was responsible for recording the song "O Senhor Extraterrestre" by Carlos Paião (1957-1988), an artist who joined the label's catalog in 1982. The funniest thing about his working relationship with Amália is his admiration and shyness toward Portugal's greatest singer: he even wrote a poem for the fado singer to sing, but shame overcame his poetry. "I was embarrassed to show it to Amália; she sang David Mourão-Ferreira, Pedro Homem de Mello, Alexandre O'Neill, and who was I compared to these great poets? Nobody," he said in another interview with Lusa news agency. The poem was eventually performed and recorded by Beatriz da Conceição in 1967. António Variações himself was introduced to Mário Martins by Maria Elisa, whom the producer greatly liked, not because Variações had a powerful or incredibly gifted voice, but because he had a voice with a history, a distinctive style, and a style all his own. "Before he became the António Variações we know, he was already different from other people. He fixed his hair and hummed. Variações' voice has its roots in Minho voices. And I know them well, because my father was from Minho. He was the shyest person I've ever met, even though I'm shy." He was also responsible for some of Marco Paulo's greatest hits, who passed away last year, such as "Eu Tenho Dois Amores" (I Have Two Loves) (António José/Georges Hatzinassios).

Valentim de Carvalho's career was long and historic for Portuguese music. Mário Martins only left in 1993, when he joined Movieplay Portuguesa, where he coordinated the series "O Melhor dos Melhores" (1994), which featured hits from around 100 Portuguese artists. He also worked in television, collaborating with Teresa Guilherme on RTP and with José Nuno Martins on a show he created for RTP. He also hosted the program "Fado Fadinho" (1993), for which he received a Bordalo Award, on TVI.

The President of the Republic sent his condolences to the record producer's family. In a note published on the Presidency of the Republic's website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa referred to Mário Martins as a "fundamental figure" in Portuguese music. "To simply say that he produced records by José Cid, Marco Paulo, Carlos Paião, or Rui Veloso is an understatement: he was a co-author, accomplice, and friend of these and other musicians, including Amália Rodrigues, becoming a fundamental figure in Portuguese popular music over the last half century," the note states. José Cid, speaking to the Lusa news agency, remembered him as "a pivotal figure in Portuguese music" and as someone who "gave immense support to many colleagues," adding: "He was unconditional in my case." The funeral took place last weekend in Gandarela (Celorico de Basto), Braga.