Appointed the Best Singer of the Emissoras Associadas in all Brazil in 1972, Orlando Corrêa, a singer since he was 19, was performing in circuses and gafieiras (dancehouses) when he was discovered by Ciro Monteiro in 1947. Monteiro took him to Rádio Mayrink Veiga (Rio), where he signed a one-year contract, having being allotted to the Casé show. In that period he went to Northeastearn Brazil for a series of shows together with Elizete Cardoso and Ataulfo Alves e Seu Estado Maior do Samba. He also worked at the Rádio Guanabara, and in the late 1949 he recorded his first album, with no response. Having moved in 1951 to Rádio Clube do Brasil, in the same year he went to Rádio Tupi, where he had success for 28 uninterrupted years. His second album was launched with songs for the Carnaval of 1951, "Minha Mão À Palmatória" (written by Antônio de Almeida and Ruy de Almeida), and "Tourada Sem Espada" (Afonso Teixeira/Jorge de Castro), also without success. But with his third album, he hit it big, with "Meu Sonho É Você" (Altamiro Carrilho/Átila Nunes). Corrêa also performed regularly in the best dancehouses of Rio, where the singers could make better money than in radio: Eldorado, Samba Dancing, Farolito, Blue Star, Belas Artes, Brasil Dancing, and Avenida. At the same time, he traveled constantly to perform on the other stations of the national radio network which owned Rádio Tupi, the Emissoras Associadas. With the arrival of television, brought by the Emissoras' owner Assis Chautebriand, he became also a TV star. In 1954, Corrêa toured with Carioca e Sua Orquestra to Uruguay, with Araci Costa, and with Ernani Filho. From 1965 to 1975, his live show, Audição Orlando Corrêa, led the prime time on several occasions. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi
