Ecos de Cabo Verde 

Group – 1970s – (?)  Ecos de Cabo Verde was formed in Brockton, and in its first phase included the keyboardist from Mindelo, Tony Óscar (keys and vocals, ex- Voz de Cabo Verde and ex-Matchona), Manuel Andrade “Mané Criola” (vocals) and Inocêncio do Canto “Duchy” (solo guitar), both from Fogo, Read more…

Tune Weavers, The

Group, 1956  Familiar group formed in Boston by descendants of Cape Verdeans, The Tune Weavers achieve great success with the song “Happy, Happy Birthday Baby”, released in 1957, at the height at the doo-wop period (a style of vocal music based on R&B that emerged among the North American black Read more…

Verda-Tones, The

Group, (?)  The Verda-Tones was a group formed in the Cape Verdean community in the USA. It was led by Toi Grace. The group appears on the album Sos Sabi: Cape Verdean Music from New England.   The group’s lineup on this recording is: Toi Grace (voice and maracas), Alfredo B. Read more…

Creole Sextet

Group (1960s) – [?]  Joli Gonsalves (voice), Al Lopes (guitar), J. Lombardi (violin), Young Boboi (saxophone), Chico Tass (?) and F. Ponte (maracas) were the members of this group formed in the USA and that appears in the collective album So Sabi: Cape Verdean Music from New England. In the Read more…

Skyliners Big Band

Group, 1930  The Skyliners Big Band was formed in 1930, as a dance section of the Cape Verdean Ultramarine Band Club (which was not a lounge band but rather a band of street performances, in parades and commemorative events), according to A Salute to the Cape Verdean Musicians and Their Read more…

Don Verdi Orchestra

Group 1930 – (?)  Big band formed by Cape Verdeans or descendants in the New England region in the U.S.A during the “swing era”, 1930’s. Joe Livramento was a member of the orchestra during his youth.  

Orchestra de Notias

Group (1920s – 1930s)  Orchestra de Notias was one of several Cape Verdean groups that existed in the United States in the 1920s/1930s. Its leader was the violinist Cândido Almeida, “Notias”.   Between 1929 and 1935, three groups formed by Cape Verdeans made a set of forty recordings at the Columbia Read more…

Johnny Perry’s Portuguese Criolo Trio

Group (1920s-1930s)  Johnny Perry’s Portuguese Criolo Trio was the first Cape Verdean group to record an album.   On January 29, 1929, he recorded a waltz and a polka, on a gramophone record released by Columbia, in New York. The group later made other recordings, under different names: Johhny Perry’s Instrumental Read more…

Abrew’s Portuguese Instrumental Trio

Band (1920-1930)  Between 1929 and 1935 some musical groups formed by Cape Verdeans recorded with Columbia Records in New York. The Abrew’s Portuguese Instrumental Trio was one of them. The others were the Johnny Perry’s Portuguese Criolo Trio and the Orchestra de Notias. They were probably the first Cape Verdean Read more…

B-29 Band/Star Orchestra 

Group, 1920-1949  B-29 was a string instrument group formed by Cape Verdean immigrants in New Bedford and existed for more than two decades. They played Cape Verdean and North American music, animating dances and parties in clubs, hotels and other venues, in addition to performing in radio studios. It is Read more…