José Prates

Musician, conductor, arranger, composer, choreographer, maracatu player born in Recife, Pernambuco.
In the 1950s he began touring with the Brasiliana Group, which he had helped to found in 1949, under the name Teatro Folclórico Brasileiro. In 1953 they performed in Europe and in 1951 and 1955, they visited Latin America, and Europe again in 1958. In 1959, they visited Australia.
In 1954, José Prates, with his group Brasiliana, recorded his first album in France. In 1958, with the sponsorship of Siemens (Polydor), he recorded a great album called Brasiliana, which had on one side only songs inspired by the songs of candomblé and macumba temples, while the other side was composed of laments, sambas and maracatus.
He went to Australia in 1990, at the age of 63, where he found the affection, love and recognition he lacked in Brazil.