12 Facts About Rui Veloso

Rui Manuel Gaudencio Veloso was born on 30 July 1957 and is a Portuguese singer-songwriter and musician.

Commonly called "The father of Portuguese rock", Veloso was a major figure in the boom of Portuguese rock music in the 1980s.

Rui Veloso grew up in Porto and started to play harmonica at the age of 6.

Rui Veloso met Carlos Te in 1976, with whom he would develop a successful songwriting partnership during his career.

In 1979, Rui Veloso signed his first contract with Valentim de Carvalho.

In 1982, Rui Veloso released his second album, Fora de Moda, with A Banda Sonora.

The album was certified platinum by the AFP, and Rui Veloso embarks afterwards on his first major national tour, a 61-date tour that included shows at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon and the Coliseu do Porto.

Rui Veloso played again with King in July that year at the Casino Estoril and later in 1996 and 1998, in Lisbon.

Also that year, Rui Veloso was the opening for Paul Simon's concert at the Jose Alvalade stadium, for an audience of over 50,000.

Rui Veloso played in Brussels, Toronto, Seville, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Paris.

In 1992, Rui Veloso recorded with Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme, in the United States, the single "Maubere", in solidarity with the East Timor people during the Indonesian occupation.

In 2005, Rui Veloso released Espuma das Cancoes, his ninth studio album.