Gianluigi Di Franco (5 January 1953, in
Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...
– 19 March 2005, in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
) was an Italian singer. In the early 1970s he joined the brothers Corrado and Danilo Rustici and formed the progressive rock band
Cervello
Cervello ("Brain") is a band from Italy.
History
Cervello was formed by musicians from Naples. Corrado Rustici, then 17 years old, was the younger brother of Danilo Rustici, who was the guitarist of another popular rock band from Naples of these ...
. The group disbanded after one album and Di Franco spent the 1970s working in a psychiatric hospital in Naples as a musicotherapist In the early 1980s Di Franco resumed his music career. He collaborated with percussionist
Tony Esposito
Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of t ...
, singing lead vocals on "
Kalimba de luna
"Kalimba de Luna" is a 1984 single by Italian musician and drummer Tony Esposito. It was written by Esposito with his long-time collaborator Remo Licastro, pianist Giuseppe "Joe" Amoruso, keyboardist Mauro Malavasi and vocalist Gianluigi Di Franc ...
" (1984) and "As Tu As" (1985). He also worked with
Tullio De Piscopo Tullio De Piscopo (born 24 February 1946 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian drummer, percussionist and singer- songwriter.
De Piscopo was born in Naples. His father was an orchestra percussionist. In 1969 he moved to Turin and two years later he moved ...
and
Mory Kanté
Mory Kanté (29 March 195022 May 2020) was a Guinean vocalist and player of the kora harp. He was best known internationally for his 1987 hit song "Yé ké yé ké", which reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. The ...
on the single "Radio Africa" (1986). In 1988 he released his first solo album, ''Gianluigi Di Franco''.
[Cesare Rizzi, Fulvio Beretta ''Enciclopedia del Rock Italiano '' 8879660225- Page 244 "Gianluigi Di Franco, da parte sua (Capri 1953) si occupa di musicoterapia in un ospedale psichiatrico prima di tornare in scena negli '80 come cantante di Kalimba de luna e As Tu As (Tony Esposito) e Radio Africa (Tullio De Piscopo).... "]
Discography
With Cervello: ''
Melos
Milos or Melos (; el, label=Modern Greek, Μήλος, Mílos, ; grc, Μῆλος, Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.
The ''Venus d ...
'' (1973)
Solo album
*''Gianluigi Di Franco'' (Dischi Ricordi SMRL 6377) 1988
#Siren Ligheia
#Go heavy
#Luna
#Semiramide
#Nighi Naga
#Insh'Allah
#Scirocco
#Can we be wrong
#Vurria addiventare
#Jingle in the jungle
#Una vela nell’azzurro
References
1953 births
2005 deaths
20th-century Italian male singers
Musicians from Naples
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