ANTONIO MARCOS 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 the pioneers like The Avalons, Tony & Celly Campello, Carlos Gonzaga and 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 Roberto Carlos, The Angels, Renato & seus Blue Caps, Erasmo Carlos, Wanderléa, 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 outskirts of São Paulo. It was a big family with 8 children. He was very musical and wanted to be a singer since he was a boy. He would sing at any gong-show possible. São Paulo was a big city with more than 15 radio stations and at least 4 different TV stations so Toninho (his nickname) could sing at a different venue every weekend.

In 1960, when he was 15 years old, Marcos sang The Platters' 'Only you' at TV Record's Grande Ginkana Kibon, a top-ratings amateur children's show broadcast every Sunday at 6:00 pm. It meant 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 in August 1965, Antonio Marcos was part of a 4-men-vocal-rock-group called Os Iguais - The equals - no relation to Eddy Grant's band of same name. Os Iguais were signed by RCA Victor in 1967, that soon released 'A partida' which 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 of Os Iguais' 3rd single release. 

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. 

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 (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. 

revista Melodias

Antonio Marcos - revista 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' - revista Melodias 1969.

Antonio Marcos was one of the top acts of 1969.

Antonio Marcos in 1970.

corduroy galore and sultry looks...

1970

1970.

'Pais quadrados, filhos avançados' - 1970.

revista Melodias 1970.

1970's 'Menina de trança'.

Antonio Marcos in 1975  -   revista Ilusão.

see Antonio Marcos discography at this site: 

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

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', de 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.