Toninho Camargos

Origin

Belo Horizonte, MG

Years Active

1971

Genres

MPB, música popular brasileira

Instruments

violão, voz

Biography

Antônio Laerson Mialaret Camargos, known artistically as Toninho Camargos, was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, on February 3, 1954. A composer and artistic producer, he began his musical journey in adolescence, becoming deeply involved with the acoustic guitar and the creation of songs. Between 1976 and 1984, he attended the Fundação de Educação Artística (FEA), an important Minas Gerais musical training center, where he worked as a student and collaborator. In 1974, he was one of the founders of Grupo Mambembe, a prominent popular music collective with which he performed until 1982, standing out in scenic-musical shows and in the recording of the group's self-titled LP in 1981.

Throughout his career, Camargos was involved with cultural dissemination and production in Minas Gerais, joining the team at Rádio Inconfidência under the coordination of Fernando Brant and working in cultural management in Pedro Leopoldo and Nova Lima. His original work and partnerships with names like Cadinho Faria and Hudson Brasil yielded recordings in anthologies and albums by interpreters such as Titane and the group Amaranto. In 2008, he released his solo CD "Encontros", recorded live in Nova Lima, bringing together friends and long-time partners.

In addition to his original production, Toninho Camargos dedicated himself to projects for the rescue and documentation of Brazilian music, such as the digital project "Noel Rosa – 100 canções para o centenário", released in 2010. In 2016, he consolidated part of his artistic memory by publishing the book "Grupo Mambembe – pequena história que virou canção", accompanied by a CD with restored recordings of the group, reaffirming his importance in the popular music scene and in the preservation of Minas Gerais' cultural memory.