Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...

. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

and Song of the Year. He is considered the first Italian

cantautore A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

.Domenico Modugno: biography

Early life

The youngest of four children, Modugno was born at

Polignano a Mare Polignano a Mare (; Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea. The local economy mostly depends on tourism, agriculture and fishing. History The area has been settled ...

, in the

province of Bari The Province of Bari ( it, provincia di Bari, nap, pruvincia 'e Bari, nap, label= Barese, provinge de Bare) was a province in the region of Apulia, Italy. Its capital was the city of Bari. It has an area of , and a total population of 1,594,10 ...

(

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

), on 9 January 1928. His father, Vito Cosimo Modugno, was a

municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...

commander, while his mother, Pasqua Lorusso, was a housewife. At the age of 9, his family moved to

San Pietro Vernotico San Pietro Vernotico ( Brindisino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi, Apulia, on the south-east coast of Italy. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. It was the site of a substantial M ...

, in the

Province of Brindisi The Province of Brindisi ( it, Provincia di Brindisi) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. It has an area of and a total population of 401,652 (2013). Geography The Province of Brindisi is situated in ...

, where his father was transferred for a new job position. Here Domenico attended primary school and learned San Pietro Vernotico's dialect, which belongs to the linguistic area of

Salentino dialect Salentino () is a dialect of the Extreme Southern Italian ( in Italian) spoken in the Salento peninsula, which is the southern part of the region of Apulia at the southern "heel" of the Italian peninsula. Overview Salentino is a dialect of the ...

, similar to Sicilian. He attended secondary school in Lecce.

Career

Modugno durante l'esibizione al Festival di sanremo del 1958

While still studying, Modugno had a role in a cinematographic version of ''

Filumena Marturano ''Filumena Marturano'' (, ), sometime performed in English as ''The Best House in Naples'', is a play written in 1946 by Italian playwright, actor and poet Eduardo De Filippo. It is the basis for the 1950 Spanish language Argentine musical film ...

'' by

Eduardo De Filippo Eduardo De Filippo (; 24 May 1900 – 31 October 1984), also known simply as ''Eduardo'', was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan works ''Filumena Marturano'' and '' Napoli Milionaria''. Consid ...

as well as some other films. In 1957, his song " Lazzarella", sung by

Aurelio Fierro Aurelio Fierro (13 September 1923 – 11 March 2005) was a successful Italian actor and singer who specialized in songs in the Neapolitan dialect. Career He was born in Montella, in the Province of Avellino, Italy. His singing career began ...

, came second in the

Festival della Canzone Napoletana The Festival della Canzone Napoletana ("Festival of Neapolitan Song"), commonly known as the Festival di Napoli, is a Neapolitan song contest. The first edition was held in 1952 and the last in 2004. From 1952 to 1970 the show was broadcast on RAI ...

, bringing him his first taste of popularity. In 1958, Modugno took part in Antonio Aniante's comedy ''La Rosa di Zolfo'' at the Festival della Prosa in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. Also in 1958, he discovered the Italian

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases fo ...

Franco and Ciccio Franco () and Ciccio () were a comic comedy duo formed by Italian actors Franco Franchi (1928–1992) and Ciccio Ingrassia (1922–2003), particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began in 1954 in the theater field, and e ...

, became their manager and got them into a long running film career. The turning point of his career came in that year, when he also participated in the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

, presenting, together with

Johnny Dorelli Johnny Dorelli (real name Giorgio Guidi; born 20 February 1937) is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Dorelli was born in Meda, Italy. In 1946 he moved to New York City with his family, where his father, Nino D'Aurelio ...

, the song " Nel blu dipinto di blu." Co-authored by Modugno and

Franco Migliacci Francesco "Franco" Migliacci (born 28 October 1930 in Mantua) is a lyricist, producer, and actor. Biography He studied in Florence where his family had settled, here he entered in a competition for young players, in which he won a stay of ...

, the song won the contest and became an enormous success worldwide. It received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s with sales above 22 million copies, and represented Italy in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest, where it came in third. Modugno reportedly used the money gained with "Nel blu dipinto di blu" to purchase a

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

, however, his car was totaled in an accident, which included his fenders being smashed. This was mentioned in the

Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

song "America's a nice Italian Name." In 1959, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival for the second time in a row, with " Piove" (also known as "Ciao, ciao bambina"), and received second place in 1960 with "Libero." This was a successful period of time for Modugno who again represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1959. Later his hit song "Io" was sung by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

in English with the title "Ask Me." In 1962, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival a third time with "Addio..., addio...." Four years later, he again represented Italy at

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

with "

Dio, come ti amo "Dio, come ti amo" (English translation: "God, How I Love You") is a song which was first performed as duo by Domenico Modugno and Gigliola Cinquetti at the Sanremo Music Festival 1966. By winning the competition, it was chosen as the entry in t ...

Sergio Franchi Sergio Franchi (born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Vict ...

recorded it in Italian (titled "Oh How Much I Love You (Dio, come ti amo!)) on his 1967 RCA Victor album, ''From Sergio-with Love.'' Jack Jones recorded it in English for his 1967 album, ''Our Song,'' under the title "Oh How Much I Love You."Shirley Bassey also recorded it with the title ''Oh God How Much I Love You, on her album Keep the Music Playing in 1991.'' Modugno was an actor in 44 movies (such as ''

Appuntamento a Ischia ''Appuntamento a Ischia'' is a 1960 Italian "musicarello" comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Domenico Modugno. Cast * Domenico Modugno as Mimmo * Antonella Lualdi as Mirella Argente * Maria Letizia Gazzoni as Letizia * Carlo Cr ...

''), and was a film producer of two (''Tutto è musica'' of 1963 was his own biographical production). In the 1970, Modugno focused on more classic music genres and profiles, as a singer and as a musician, adapting poetry, acting on television and in lead singing roles of modern operas.

Final years

In 1984, Modugno suffered a severe stroke and remained partially paralyzed; this forced him to abandon his artistic career and devote himself to rehab. From 1986, he worked for the rights of disabled people, and in June 1987, he was elected congressman for

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

in Italian Parliament, in the ranks of the Radical Party, a liberal-social political group. In the past he had supported the campaigns of the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...

and one for divorce, in addition to criticizing the human rights' violation by the regime of

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

, that cost him a denial of entry in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, where he had been scheduled to hold a concert. In this last stage of his life, instead, he was very active in social issues, fighting against inhuman conditions of patients in the

Agrigento Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

. Modugno returned on the music scene, definitively (he already held a concert for former inmates of Agrigento's mental asylum, in 1989), in 1992–1993. His last song was ''Delfini'' (''Dolphins''), in 1993 with his son, Massimo. On 6 August 1994, Modugno died at the age of 66, from a heart attack, on the island of

Lampedusa Lampedusa ( , , ; scn, Lampidusa ; grc, Λοπαδοῦσσα and Λοπαδοῦσα and Λοπαδυῦσσα, Lopadoûssa; mt, Lampeduża) is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The ''comune'' of L ...

, south of Sicily, while he was in his home by the sea. His beach-villa was put up for sale in 2020. It is located on Rabbits' Islet beach, the location is part of a natural protected reserve with limestones and crags.

Discography

* "Lu pisce spada" * "Lazzarella" * " Nel blu dipinto di blu" – also known as "Volare" (Sanremo winner song, 1958), co-authored with

* Buon Natale A Tutto Il Mondo (1958, with

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

) * "La lontananza" * " Piove" – also known as "Ciao, ciao bambina" (Sanremo winner song, 1959) * "Sopra i tetti azzurri del mio pazzo amore" * " Vecchio frac" * "Non piangere Maria" * "Amara terra mia" * "Stasera pago io" * "Il maestro di violino" * "Tu si 'na cosa grande" * "Questa è la mia vita" * "Addio...addio..." * " Piange... il telefono"

Sanremo Festival

$Modugno esegue Vecchio frac e, mentre fischia, percuote la cassa della chitarra$ Modugno was the winner four times (in 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1966). * 1956 "Musetto" * 1958 " Nel blu dipinto di blu" (winner) * 1959 " Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" (winner) * 1960 "Libero" (second place) * 1962 "Addio... addio..." (winner) * 1964 "Che me ne importa a me" (second place) * 1966 "

" (winner) * 1967 "Sopra i tetti azzurri del mio pazzo amore" * 1968 "Il posto mio" * 1971 "Come stai?" * 1972 "Un calcio alla città" * 1974 "Questa è la mia vita" (second place)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modugno, Domenico 1928 births 1994 deaths People from Polignano a Mare Radical Party (Italy) politicians Federation of the Greens politicians Deputies of Legislature X of Italy Senators of Legislature X of Italy Politicians of Apulia Italian male singers Italian pop singers Italian male singer-songwriters Jubilee Records artists RCA Victor artists Decca Records artists Italian human rights activists 20th-century Italian male singers Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Italy Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1958 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1959 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1966 Grammy Award winners Sanremo Music Festival winners Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio