Tony Óscar
António Óscar Gonçalves
Mindelo, São Vicente, [1950s]
Instrumentalist (keyboards)
As a teenager Tony Óscar participated in several groups in Mindelo in the 1960s including: Os Caites, Os Crioulos, and The Robins. Later, he became part of the final lineup of Voz de Cabo Verde (I) and the initial lineup of the group that followed it, replacing Chico Serra on keyboards in 1970. Chico Serra had returned to São Vicente and taken Tony Óscar’s place in Os Caites. A news report published in the newspaper O Arquipélago in 1972 describes performances in Cabo Verde by the group led by Luís Morais and Bana: “(…) Besides the sentimental mornas and the lively coladeiras, performed in Bana’s unmistakable voice, Jorge Sousa and Tony Óscar delighted the audience with an expressive repertoire of South American folk and pop music,” the article states (O Arquipélago, February 24, 1972).
During this period, several of his compositions were recorded by Luís Morais, such as “Zora”, “Cumbia de negros”, and “Loin de toi”, among others.
Later, after emigrating to the United States, he joined the group Matchona, which accompanied Djosinha, and also became a member of Ecos de Cabo Verde. The latter recorded several of his compositions, including coladeras and cumbias.
Songs
Afronta na Roxbury; Cmê na mêsme próte; Criolo ta fala demas; Cumbia de negros; Denúncia n’Imigração; Loin de toi; Me hace dano; Mudjêr de Merca (co-written with Quirino do Canto and J. Teixeira); Quando eu voltar; Que rico son; Soy de Cabo Verde; Triste verano; Zora.