Originally from Ericeira in Portugal, Francisco Chuva started singing fado when he was a teenager.
In his early fado nights in Portugal, he sang at local bars and restaurants and later started playing the viola de fado.
At the age of 30 Chuva left Ericeira, came to the United States, and settled in the city of Kearny, New Jersey. Soon after his arrival in the US a friend found him a restaurant that was in need of a fado singer. Soon after starting to sing, there was an opportunity to play viola de fado at the same restaurant, and he has been playing and singing fado in the US ever since.
