Altemar Dutra

Self-taught singer Altemar Dutra enjoyed great success in Brazil, Latin America, and the U.S. as an interpreter of Latin romantic songs in several genres. He has recorded several albums, some of which were released internationally. He moved to Colatina, Espírito Santo, with his family, where he taught himself to play the violão (acoustic guitar). His first public performance was at Rádio Difusora, winning a novice contest. With his talent confirmed in several similar successes, at age 17 he moved to Rio de Janeiro and was hired by Boite Baccarat and famous nightclub O Cangaceiro. Dutra’s first recording was a single with “Saudade Que Vem” (Oldemar Magalhães/Célio Ferreira) and “Somente Uma Vez” (Luiz Mergulhão/Roberto Moreira) in the early ’60s. He consolidated his audience in Rádio Mundial’s show Boleros Dentro Da Noite and was hired by Odeon. His first national hit came with “Tudo De Mim” (Evaldo Gouveia/Jair Amorim). Other hits of the famous duo’s compositions were “Sentimental Demais,” “Somos Iguais,” “O Trovador,” and “Que Queres Tu De Mim?” In Brazil, he released 24 LPs. He also recorded in Spanish (selling up to 500,000 copies of his albums in that idiom), including an album shared with Lucho Gatica (El Bolero Se Canta Así), and performed several times in other Latin American countries. Highly regarded by the Latino community in the U.S., he became one of the most popular foreign singers. He was actually performing in a New York nightclub (La Tranquera) when he died. ~ Alvaro Neder