When he was only ten, he got the first prize in a contest celebrated in Santiago de Compostela. He was married and already had ten children when he travelled to America. He established himself in Argentina, where he created an important group of pipers, that he himself directed.He also made his own pipe and even industrialized it in Buenos Aires.
Manuel Dopazo Gontade presented the popular Galician music all over Argentina. He also went all over Uruguay and Brazil, where he made some records and films.