I Santo California are an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

musical group active since 1974. They are best known for their debut single " Tornerò" which became an international no. one hit in 1975.

History

The group was founded by five musicians originating from

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. Originally called La Nuova Frontiera, the band initially performed in clubs and beach resorts in the

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. In 1974, during a concert in

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, they caught the attention of Elio Palumbo who helped them sign a contract with the Italian label Yep Record in Rome. At that point, the band had changed the name to I Santo California. They released their debut single, " Tornerò", at the end of 1974. A sentimental love ballad, "Tornerò" was a major hit in Italy and

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where it spent multiple weeks at no. one in 1975. In Switzerland, "Tornerò" became the best-selling single of the year. It also peaked at number five in

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and

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. The band's debut album charted within the top twenty in Italy. The follow-up single, "Un angelo", peaked at no. two in the Italian charts and no. ten in Switzerland in the spring of 1976. The band continued the international success with "Dolce amore mio" which reached no. six in Italy and no. three in Switzerland. In 1977, I Santo California took part to the

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with the song "Monica", finishing third. The song quickly turned into another international hit for the band. In 1978, they scored their last top ten hit in Italy with "Manuela, amore!". After that, I Santo California's popularity decreased. The band continued to record and perform but struggled to maintain the same degree of commercial success. Following a break of fourteen years, in 1994 the band released a new album ''1994 Per un mondo migliore''.

Members

* Pietro Paolo Barbella - vocals, keyboard (1974 – present) * Donato Farina - drums (1974 – present) * Domenico Aiello - bass (1974 – present) * Massimo Caso - guitar (1974 – 1979) * Gianni Galizia - keyboard (1974 – 1990)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo California, I Italian musical groups Musical groups established in 1974 Musicians from Naples