The high priestess, icon and idol of the fado is still undoubtedly Amália Rodrigues, who was active from 1936 until her death in 1999. She was frowned on as unorthodox for a long time, but she left an imprint on the fado similar to that made by B. B. King on the blues, i.e., the shape she gave to it has come to be thought of as the "right" way, especially by people who only half-understand. You will find it easier to get recordings by her than other artistes.

Other important names in the fado world include Maria Teresa de Noronha, Alberto Prado, José Alfonso and Carlos de Carmo. Among guitarists, Carlos Paredes is the most outstanding.

Mention should also be made of the heavy influence the fado has had on other Portuguese music. Dulce Pontes, perhaps the best known contemporary Portuguese singer of folk or any other kind of music, has interpreted fado themes and there is often a clear fado wail in her voice. More or less the same applies to the internationally successful group Madredeus, whose ethereal sound is so distinctive.

In modern fado, Bevinda and Cristina Branco are names to reckon with, but the most important is clearly Misia. Misia has a tremendous voice and impeccable credentials as a serious fado artiste. This, together with her languid looks, the black clothes traditionally adopted by fado singers and her half-vampish, half-waiflike image (Marianne Faithful meets Edith Piaf - in an existentialist graveyard) has not only established her as the leading contemporary fado singer, but also opened a way to a more general audience. In the twenty-first century, it is clear that the fado still has the capacity to surprise.

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