José Mário Branco


José Mário Branco was a Portuguese singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer.

Biography

José Mário Branco was born in Porto, the son of primary school teachers, and became politically involved in the early 1960s. This political activity during the dictatorship in Portugal and his opposition to the colonial war led him to seek exile in France in 1963. There he would eventually meet and collaborate with musicians such as Sérgio Godinho and Zeca Afonso, whose records he produced and recorded at the Château d'Hérouville studios.
After the 1974 revolution Branco returned to Portugal and was the founder of the music ensemble GAC – Grupo de Acção Cultural. He composed a number of music scores for theatre plays.
Branco died of a stroke on 19 November 2019 at the age of 77.

Discography