The “Beatnicks” were a band formed in 1965, following the Gil Vicente high school graduation party where João Ribeiro and António Jorge de Carvalho (finalists, at the time, of the high school course) formed a group that would become the embryo of the Beatnicks (João Ribeiro – rhythm guitar, Vitor Santos Silva – solo guitar, Jorge Cardoso – bass guitar, Fernando Aristides – drums and António Jorge Jacob de Carvalho – vocals).
As early as that year, 1965, the Group, already with new members, began to perform at graduation parties and reception balls for university freshmen, having ended the year with a performance at the Réveillon do Cine/Teatro Monumental, at the invitation of businessman Vasco Morgado, who recognized the band’s qualities when he saw them perform in the Yé-Yé competition that took place that year and the following year at the Monumental.
At that time, the band included João Ribeiro (rhythm guitar), Manuel Pedro (solo guitar), Justiniano Grilo/Tinoca (bass guitar) and José Manuel Bandeira (drums).
This formation remained together until 1969, the year in which Tinoca was mobilized overseas, with Chico Henriques joining on the keyboards and João Ribeiro taking over the bass guitar, always having the freshman reception balls as the largest auditorium. faculties (restricted to democratic student associations) and high school finalist parties, all over the country.
In 1970 João Ribeiro makes a brief incursion in the “Chinchillas” group that acts, with some success in the festival “Barbarela” of Palma de Mallorca, and the Beatniks suffer a temporary suspension (José Manuel Bandeira also enters the military service) and the formation existing is extinguished.
In that same year of 1970, João Ribeiro and Mário Ceia (who had replaced Bandeira in recent months) reformed the band and with Zé Diogo (voice) and Rui Pereira da Silva (Pipas) relaunched the Beatniks for the best period in the history of this phase of band. It was during this phase that they won the pop festival in Coimbra in May 1971, performed at the “Gamela” festival in Vigo, along with the 1111 Quartet, the following month and participated in television programs, such as “Pop 25” by Nuno martins.
It was also during this period that they signed a contract with Tecla Label (by maestro Jorge Costa Pinto) and recorded two albums: an EP with the winning song of the Coimbra festival “Cristine goes to town” and also the themes “Sing it alone” and ” Little school boy”; and a single with the themes “Money” and “Back in town”, almost all written by Rui Pipas and Mário Ceia.
They perform at the Vilar de Mouros Festival and at the end of this phase of the band, after the departure of Rui Pipas (undoubtedly the best musician in the group) to “Albatroz”, they join Jorge Palma (keyboards) and Júlio Gomes (viola), musicians from the “Sindicato”, until October 1971, when João Ribeiro is incorporated into the military service, thus ending this 1st phase of the band.
In 1972 the band tries to restart and, at the beginning of the 2nd phase, João Ribeiro, mobilized for Guinea, gives way to Ramiro Martins who joins it for a short period, leaving the country together with guitarist José Artur.
After the revolution of April 1974 they returned, and Ramiro Martins with Jorge Casanova (guitarist) – after participating in setting music for the theater play Viagem à Iris – resumed the continuation of the band, with the consent of Mário Ceia.
Enter António Leal on vocals, Luís Borges on keyboards, who meanwhile leaves Fernando Santos, Luís Araújo on drums and yet another guitarist who would leave shortly afterwards. The following year, Lena Águas joined, making the band have two vocalists.
The group achieves a relevant success taking into account its inexperience and youth: In the shows, the first part consists of covers of the so-called symphonic rock, and the second in its own music, in Portuguese in a “progressive” style, this between 1976 and 1978.
In this period, in addition to the numerous concerts in the north of the country, a concert on Terceira Island for around 10,000 spectators, and the first part of Jim Capaldi at the Coliseum stand out. With this last concert in 1978, Fernando Santos and Lena Águas left. António Emiliano joins the keyboards, and they record the single “Somos o Mar” and “Jardim Terra”. The compositions are by Jorge Casanova. They play the first part of Pulsar in Cascais.
António Emiliano and Luís Araújo leave, Miguel Barreto joins on the keys and they record the single “Blue Jeans” and “Magia”, songs also by Jorge Casanova, who achieved some commercial success having been on the top TNT, with the collaboration of drummer Necas. Finally, in 1982, they edited the LP Aspects Humans”, which reflected the transition of trends in pop rock music, not reaping success and leading to “arranging the guitars”.
In 2008 the LP “Heavy Freaks back in Town” was released, edited by PPP (Portuguese Progressive Pearls), with the themes recorded between 1971 and 1978. In addition to the normal edition there is a limited edition of 100 units with different vinyl color and an embroidered patch.
