Quinta do Bill

Infobox musical artist
Name = Quinta do Bill

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Img_capt = Quinta do Bill, in 2005, at a live concert on July, 2nd 2005, on Escudeiros, Braga, Portugal.
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|Portugal Tomar, Santarém, Portugal
Instruments =
Genre = Folk-rock
Years_active = 1987–present
Label = Dansa do Som, PolyGram, Universal, Som Livre, Som Livre, Espacial
Website = http://www.quintadobill.net/
Associated_acts = Corvos, UHF, Xutos & Pontapés, Adolfo Luxúria Canibal
Current_members = Carlos Moisés
Miguel Urbano
Cató
Jorge Costa
Paulo Bizarro
Dalila
Past_members = Rui Dias
João Coelho
Pedro Ferreira
Fernando Paulo
João Portela
Alfredo Fonseca
Paulo Jorge
Nuno Flores
Pedro Pimentel

Quinta do Bill (Bill's Farm in English) it's the name of the Portuguese musical group of folk-rock formed in 1987 near Tomar.

The group's style is eclectic but easily distinguishable with several influences being the celtic, musulman and amerindic tradicional songs the most obvious [http://jn.sapo.pt/2006/12/19/cultura/gostamos_misturar_paixoes.html] [http://www.correiodamanha.pt/noticia.asp?id=222864&idCanal=218] - influenced by Portuguese popular musicWho|date=June 2007 or Jazz.

The beginning

In September 1987 at Mr. Guilherme's (Portuguese cognate for William, and so known as Bill) farm that “Quinta do Bill” (Bill’s farm) was born by the hands of Carlos Moisés, Paulo Bizarro and Rui Dias.

That year they took part in the 1st Modern Music Show from RUC (Rádio Universidade de Coimbra) and in 1988 in the 5th Rock Rendez-Vous Contest, where they have reach the final [http://anos80.no.sapo.pt/quintadobill.htm] . For being finalists they won the right to record the song "Zézé", included in the collection Registos. In 1990 they reached the semi-finals of the contest Rock Pepsi-RFM and won the first prize at the first RTP contest Aqui D'el Rock, which gave them the chance to edit their first album Sem Rumo two years later.

The success

One year later the album Os Filhos da nação was edited by Polygram, reached the gold record [http://www.artistas-espectaculos.com/topafp.php] and took the band to stages from the North to the South of Portugal that year and the following one during two tours with more than 100 concerts. This album includes hits like "Os Filhos da nação", "Senhora Maria do Olival" or "Aljubarrota" (released the first time on Sem Rumo), "Quando eu era pequenino", which is a both Portuguese and Brazilian tradicional song [http://fonoteca.cm-lisboa.pt/cgi-bin/info3.pl?2954&CD&0] . In 2003, FC Porto staff (as both players and technical staff, including the former FC Porto coach José Mourinho) recorded the song "Filhos do Dragão", which is the Quinta do Bill's hit "Filhos da Nação" with adapted lyrics, and became a major hit among the team supporters [http://osportistas.tapirus.net/fcp.html] [http://www.revivendomusicas.com.br/produto_detalhe.asp?id=4695] ". Middle way, they were the support band of Bryan Adams' concert in José Alvalade Stadium, with enthusiastic "encore" request from the crowd. [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinta_do_bill] [http://tomar.wordpress.com/2004/03/22/quinta-do-bill/] [http://anos80.no.sapo.pt/quintadobill.htm]

In 1996 they edited the album No trilho do sol, again a gold record [http://www.artistas-espectaculos.com/topafp.php] , including hits such as "A única das amantes", "No trilho do sol" and "Se te amo" and driving the band to a large tour. In September they performed a live concert for more than 40,000 people in the Avante! festival. [http://www.quintadobill.net/biografia/banda_1987.html] [http://tomar.wordpress.com/2004/03/22/quinta-do-bill/] [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festa_do_Avante%21] [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinta_do_bill]

1998 Dias de cumplicidade by Polygram reached the silver record [http://www.artistas-espectaculos.com/topafp.php] with the help of the single "Voa (voa)".

Nowadays

The following years the band made tours, edited a Best of... (1999), opened way to new songs for a new album, Nómadas, which was edited in 2001 by Universal Music which had the special participation of the Moroccan singer Amina Alaoui and the Iranian Bijan Chemirani in the percussions.

After the release of Ao Vivo Tour 2003, the record of the band's live performance in Queima das Fitas of Coimbra, Quinta do Bill returned to the albums of originals editing in December 2006 “A hora das colmeias”. The record and has the participation of well known names as writer José Luís Peixoto and song writers; Pedro Abrunhosa, Miguel Castro, Tim, Adolfo Luxúria Canibal, João Afonso, Sebastião Antunes, Moz Carrapa and João Portela.

Band's members

Carlos Moisés (vocals/acoustic guitar/flute | since 1987), Miguel Urbano (accordion/acoustic guitar/keyboard | since 1997), Cató (electric guitar/acoustic guitar/banjo | since 1995), Jorge Costa (drums/percussion | since 2000), Paulo Bizarro (electric bass/freetless/double bass | since 1987), Dalila (violin | since 2005). [http://www.quintadobill.net/]

Former band's members: Rui Dias (guitar | 1987 - 1992 ), João Coelho (drums | 1987 - 2000), Pedro Ferreira (keyboards | 1987 - 1990), Fernando Paulo (guitar | 1987 - 1988), João Portela (lyrics | 1989 - ), Alfredo Fonseca (keyboards | 1990 - 1993), Paulo Jorge (guitar/banjo | 1992 - 1995), Nuno Flores (violin/viola | 1993 - 2006 ) and Pedro Pimentel (keyboards/accordion | 1993 - 1997). [http://tomar.wordpress.com/2004/03/22/quinta-do-bill/]

Discography

*"Sem rumo" - Dansa do Som - 1992
*"Filhos da nação" - Polygram- 1994
*"Trilho do sol" - Polygram - 1996
*"Dias de cumplicidade" - Polygram - 1998
*"Best of" - Universal - 2000
*"Nómadas" - Universal - 2001
*"Ao Vivo Tour 2003" - Som Livre - 2004
*"A hora das colmeias" - Espacial - 2006

Links

* [http://www.quintadobill.net/ Official website (in portuguese)]
* [http://anos80.no.sapo.pt/quintadobill.htm Extensive Quinta do Bill's biography in Música Portuguesa Anos 80 (in portuguese)]
* [http://tomar.wordpress.com/2004/03/22/quinta-do-bill/ Band´s biography on Tomar weblog (in portuguese)]
* [http://www.myspace.com/quintadobill Quinta do Bill's myspace (in portuguese and in english)]
* [http://jn.sapo.pt/2006/12/19/cultura/gostamos_misturar_paixoes.html Quinta do Bill's interview on Jornal de Notícias (in portuguese)]
* [http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=QUINTA|DO|BILL&sql=11:kjfpxquald6e~T0 All Music Guide entry on Quinta do Bill (in english)]