The Santos Band

Biographical Note for The Santos Brothers: When their parents hosted kitchen dances, the brothers – Antonio Sr., Abel, Matthew, José and their sister Lena on vocals - watched the grownups to learn how to play the viola, mandolin, and guitar. The band played Cape Verdean dance music on the radio in Norwich in 1947 and at clubs and dances all over New England until the mid-1970s. The Santos have passed their musical ability onto the next generation – Antonio Sr. formed a band with his son Antonio Jr. and daughters Wendy, Leona, and Lisa. "Cape Verdean music will never die, I tell you...now it's picking up fast, younger ones are learning it. We look back, way back when it first started from our grandfathers all the way down, and it's still coming up." Their enthusiasm and the popularity of Cape Verdean dance music has encouraged the city of Norwich to book Cape Verdean bands for its city-wide summer concert, and to hold a Cape Verdean Festival in 2019.