ANTONIO MARCOS from Os Iguais 1967 to 1968 - 1973

Antonio Marcos was part of the 3rd wave of Brazilian rock - if we may divide it in phases. 

Brazilian Rock's 1st wave (1958-1961) was made up of pioneers like The Avalons, Tony & Celly Campello, Carlos Gonzaga, Sergio Murilo. 

The 2nd wave (1962-1965) was made up of São Paulo instrumental bands like the Jet Blacks, the Jordans, the Clevers and Rio de Janeiro's acts like Roberto Carlos, Renato & seus Blue Caps, Erasmo Carlos, Wanderléa, the Angels, the Golden Boys. 

Brazilian rock's 3rd wave (1966-1969) were those young acts who came of age after TV Record's 'Jovem Guarda' was launched on 22nd August 1965, like Antonio Marcos, Os Caçulas, Vanusa, Claudio Fontana etc.

Antonio Marcos Pensamento da Silva was born in 8 November 1945, in São Miguel Paulista, a working-class suburb in the northern section of São Paulo. He was one among 8 children. Being very musical he always wanted to be a singer. He would sing at any possible gong-show. São Paulo being a big city with 15 radio stations and 4 different TV stations Toninho (his nickname) could sing at a different venue every weekend.

In 1960, at 15, Marcos sang The Platters' 'Only you' at TV Record's Grande Ginkana Kibon, a top-ratings amateur children's hour broadcast every Sunday at 6:00 pm. Antonio Marcos was a rock balladeer at an early age. 

He went to school at Colégio Estadual Dom Pedro I, in São Miguel Paulista and worked as a shop assistant at Sapataria do seu Neném, a shoe-repair shop. 

By the time TV Record's 'Jovem Guarda' started on 22nd August 1965, Antonio Marcos was part of a 4-men-vocal-rock-combo called Os Iguais (The equals) no relation to Eddy Grant's band of same name. Os Iguais were signed by RCA Victor in 1967; 'A partida', their first single had enough air-play for them to have a follow up. 

The A&R man at RCA Victor, Ramalho Neto thought better and decided to launch Antonio Marcos as a solo artist at the same time they released Os Iguais' 3rd single. 

But it took another year - August 1968 - for Antonio Marcos to hit the charts with 'Tenho um amor melhor que o seu' (I've got a better love than yours) a song written by Roberto Carlos himself who obviously had a bias towards Toninho. 

Roberto Carlos liked Antonio Marcos enough to have listened to some of his new songs, having chosen 'E nunca mais eu vou deixar você tão só' (I will never leave you alone) to include in his 'O inimitável' album released in December 1968. It was track no. 1 on side A, which meant a lot when vynil was king.

Antonio Marcos in his high school graduation photo. 

Os Iguais - The Equals - no relation to the British/Jamaican band of same name that was successful at the same time - were 4 young hopeful singers from São Miguel Paulista, a suburb of sprawling São Paulo, who got together as a vocal group circa 1966-1967 and were given the supreme joy of recording a single for a multinational record label: RCA Victor.

Mário Lúcio was the one who played the guitar sometimes, but Antonio Marcos, a moody handsome colt was the one who got most of the attention - soon detaching himself from the group and pursuing a solo career that took him to the pinacles of pop glory.  

Os Iguais in 1965: Marcelo Gastaldi, Mário Lúcio de Freitas, Apolo Mori & Antonio Marcos.

Apolo, Mário Lúcio, Marcelo & Antonio Marcos.

Os Iguais in 1966: Apolo, Marcelo, Antonio Marcos & Mário Lúcio.

Os Iguais: Apolo, Marcelo, Antonio Marcos & Mário Lúcio sing at TV Excelsior in 1966.

1967 

LC-6261 - RCA - Os Iguais
A- A partida (Marcelo Gastaldi-Mario Lucio)

B- Quero te dar meu coração (I'll follow the sun) (Lennon-McCartney; v.: Antonio Marcos)  

LC-6314 - RCA - Os Iguais 
A- Romance das caveiras (Alvarenga-Ranchinho-Chiquinho Salles) 

B- Volte (Marcelo Gastaldi-Mario Lucio)

LC-6338 - RCA - Antonio Marcos 
A- Perdi você (Antonio Marcos-Mario Lucio)
B- A história de alguém que amou uma flor (Antonio Marcos-Mario Marcos)

LC-6339 - RCA - Os Iguais 

A- Quando o amor bater na porta (When love comes knocking at your door) (Sedaka-Bayer; v.: Tom Gomes)  

B- Estranho olhar (If I needed someone) (G.Harrison; v.: Mario Lucio)

1968

LC-6365 - RCA - Antonio Marcos 
A- Tenho um amor melhor que o seu (Roberto Carlos)
B- P'ra que fingir (Antonio Marcos) 

LC-6368 - RCA - Antonio Marcos 
A- Meu brinquedinho (Marcos Roberto-Dori Edson)
B- Cara de pau (Mario Marcos) 

LC-6478 - RCA  - Antonio Marcos 
A- Não fico mais sem teu carinho (Roberto Correa-Sylvio Son)
B- Vou fugir do mundo dos seus braços (Antonio Marcos-Mario Marcos) 

1969

LC-no number (promotional) - Antonio Marcos 
A- Você pediu e eu já vou daqui (in Spanish) (Zairo Marinoso-Antonio Marcos) 
B- Sou eu (in Spanish) (Martinha)


LC-6570 - RCA - Antonio Marcos 
A- Se eu pudesse conversar com Deus (Nelson Ned)
B- Eu sou o mesmo de ontem (Antonio Marcos-Mario Marcos) 

1970

LC-ESP-062 (promotional) - Antonio Marcos 
A- Menina de tranças (Antonio Marcos)
B- Marcas no caminho (Antonio Marcos-Mario Marcos)

Melodias trumpets: Antônio Marcos, a new idol. 

Antonio Marcos, Melodias, August 1969.

Antonio Marcos just after the release of his 1st album. Seen right below with Claudio Fontana and manager Genival Mello.

Antonio Marcos trabalhou como office-boy, vendedor de varejo e balconista de loja de calçados. Participou do programa de calouros no Clube de Regatas da Nitro Química, que era comandado pelo Albertino Nobre. 

Atuou como ator nas peças 'Amor e curtição', 'Hair', 'Pé coxinho' e 'Samba contra 00dólar', de Moracy do Val, no Teatro de Arena. Antonio Marcos morreu em 5 Abril 1992.

Antonio Marcos sings one of his songs to Roberto Carlos in 1968. Actually, Antonio Marcos showed two of his best songs to Roberto who chose 'E não vou deixar você tão só' that he included as track 1 of his 1968 album 'O inimitável'. The other song Antonio Marcos showed was 'Você pediu e eu já vou daqui'. 

Claudio Fontana writes: Esta foto foi no dia em que Roberto Carlos foi almoçar no apartamento do nosso empresário Genival Melo, onde morávamos juntos Antonio Marcos, Claudio Fontana e Nelson Ned na Avenida Higienópolis, em São Paulo. Roberto Carlos ouviu 3 musicas, uma de Nelson Ned, uma minha (Claudio Fontana) e gostou da do Antônio Marcos. Foi um almoço maravilhoso e virou reportagem da revista 'Intervalo' - 14 September 2013. Claudio Fontana.

from left to right: Antonio Marcos, Genival Melo, Roberto Carlos, Nelson Ned, Dedé, drummer with RC-7 and Moacyr Franco. 

Claudio Fontana, Antonio Marcos, Genival Melo (standing), Roberto Carlos, Nelson Ned, Moacyr Franco (playing the guitar), Dedé and (probably) Carlos Manga.

Começou pouco depois do meio-dia e só terminou lá pelas 5 da tarde, quando o último convidado se despediu. Êsse foi um almôço excepcional: teve Roberto Carlos e Nice, Moacyr Franco, Antônio Marcos, Cláudio Fontana, Nélson Ned, Dedé (ex-bateirista de Roberto) e Carlos Manga, diretor e produtor de TV. Como anfitrião, o empresário Genival Melo estava eufórico. Sorrindo sempre, procurava dar um toque de perfeição a cada pormenor do encontro. Muita música se cantou, mil piadas foram contadas (faltaram as do Chacrinha, que, convidado, não pôde comparecer). Alegria geral na reunião de amigos, longe do burburinho dos palcos e do corre-corre nas gravadoras. Um sossêgo. 

Cada um mostrou o que de mais nôvo havia gravado. Nelson Ned cantou 'Camarim'. Ouvido e aplaudido. Claudio Fontana ia começar sua música quando chegaram Roberto, Nice e Dedé, baterista do RC-7.

Antonio Marcos visits Recife in March 1969, soon after RCA released 'Não fico mais sem seu carinho' - Melodias 1969.

Antonio Marcos was one of the top acts of 1969.

Antonio Marcos in 1970, maybe the peak of his popularity.

corduroy galore and sultry looks...

1970.

1970.

'Pais quadrados, filhos avançados' - 1970.

revista Melodias 1970.

'Menina de trança', 1970.

'Melodias', 1970, claims Antonio Marcos, who had been married to Vanusa, was actually having an affair with actress Debora Duarte. who played a romantic part in 'Toninho on the rocks', a telenovela made by TV Tupi. Vanusa plays it cool not believing in the gossip, saying she and Debora were friends since they met at another show beamed by TV Tupi called 'Bonzinhos até certo ponto'. Vanusa says Debora is engaged to someone called Wladimir and she couldn't believe she would jeopardize their relationship. 

magazine 'Ilusão', 1975.

In the mid to late 1970s Antonio Marcos got heavier due no doubt to his high intake of liquor. His taste in fashion wasn't exactly what one would consider 'stylish'... even considering the 1970s the worst decade ever concerning mode. 

reportagem da 'Sétimo Céu', 1972, mostrando Antonio Marcos e seu pai sr. Vicente, distribuindo presentes para os pobres de São Miguel Paulista.

sr. Vicente e seu filho Antonio Marcos.

Antonio Marcos & brother Mario Marcos.

Antonio Marcos, Wanderley Cardoso & Paulo Sergio...

'Ele... Antonio Marcos' is perhaps his last good recording. One can clearly see his bloated face on the cover of the album. Marcos was drinking heavily then and it showed in his voice which was not exactly wobbly but lacked that firmness that one must have to really belt out a tune. Claudio Fontana's 'Ele' and Clayton's 'Pelos caminhos' tried to cash in on 'O homem de Nazaré' sort of Jesus-was-a-common-fellow... but times were changing quickly... those early 1970s 'Jesus Christ Superstar' gold mine had dried up. 

see Antonio Marcos discography at this site: 

http://musicariabrasil.blogspot.com.br/2012/04/20-anos-sem-antonio-marcos.html