Carlos Paredes

Carlos Paredes was a virtuoso Portuguese guitar player and composer who was born in Lisbon in 1925. He was the son of Artur Paredes, a renowned guitar player from Coimbra, and he learned to play the instrument from his father at a young age. He started his musical career in 1939, performing with his father on the radio and in various venues. He developed his own style of playing, which was influenced by classical, folk and popular music. He composed several pieces for the Portuguese guitar, some of which became classics, such as "Verdes Anos", "Movimento Perpétuo" and "Canção de Alcipe". He also composed soundtracks for films and theater, such as "Os Verdes Anos" (1963), "Mudar de Vida" (1966) and "O Cerco" (1970). He collaborated with many poets and musicians, such as José Afonso, Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Fernando Tordo and Pedro Caldeira Cabral. He performed in many countries around the world, such as France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Japan and the United States. He received several awards and honors, such as the Order of Infante D. Henrique, the Order of Santiago da Espada, the Medal of Cultural Merit and the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He retired from music in 1993, after suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He died in 2004, at the age of 79, from heart failure. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Portuguese guitar players of all time.