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Mango, stage name of Giuseppe Mango (6 November 1954 – 8 December 2014), was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician.
He was known for his style which fuses pop, rock,
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
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* Folklore
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* Folk Plus or Fol ...
, world music and for his extensive vocal range. He is best known for the song "Oro", from his 1986 breakout album release ''Odissea
''Odissea'' is the fifth studio album released by Mango, in 1986.
The album contains some of his most known songs - "Lei verrà" and "Oro" - and two songs in English language - "Love is just a melody" and "Modern love" co-written with Simon Marsh ...
''. Other hits include "Lei verrà
"Lei verrà" () is an Italian song composed by Mango and Alberto Salerno and performed by Mango. It is included in the 1986 album '' Odissea''.
Background
The song was entered into the main competition at the 36th edition of the Sanremo Music Fe ...
", "Mediterraneo", " Bella d'estate", "Amore per te", "Come Monnalisa", "Nella mia città" and "La rondine".
Mango has been defined by Italian music author Mario Luzzatto Fegiz as an "authentic innovator of Italian pop music" and Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
considers him an "Italian rock fusion innovator".
He wrote songs for Italian artists such as Patty Pravo
Patty Pravo (born Nicoletta Strambelli on 9 April 1948) is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in popularity in the followin ...
, Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer and actress. In her long career she has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her siste ...
, Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...
, Mietta
Daniela Miglietta (born 12 November 1969 in Taranto, Italy) is an Italian singer, actress and novelist. She has released 11 albums in total.
Biography
In 1988 she took part in the Sanremo Music Festival in the ''New comers'' category with '' ...
. Part of his repertoire was performed by Italian and foreign musicians including Mina, Mia Martini
Mia Martini (; born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè ; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995) was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.comLeo Sayer
Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009.
Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...
, Hélène Ségara
Hélène Ségara (), born Hélène Aurore Alice Rizzo on 26 February 1971, is a singer of Music of France, French, Armenians, Armenian and Italy, Italian descent, who came to prominence playing the role of Esméralda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ...
and Eleftheria Arvanitaki
Eleftheria Arvanitaki (Greek: Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη) (born 17 October 1957 in Piraeus) is a Greek folk singer. She originates from the island of Icaria. Arvanitaki has worked with important musicians, such as Cesária Évora, Ar ...
.
Biography
Beginning and early career
Mango was born inLagonegro
Lagonegro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is part of the Valle del Noce and has (2017) a population of 5,471.
Geography
The municipality, located southwest of its ...
, province of Potenza
The Province of Potenza ( it, Provincia di Potenza; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There a ...
. He grew up listening mainly to soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
and hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
music, his favourite musicians included Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
and Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
. He began his musical activity as a teen, playing in a cover band with his older brother Michele. Mango was not into Italian music at the time, stating he only performed some Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an influential Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting.
Battisti released 18 studio albums ...
's songs. He started to study sociology at the University of Salerno
The University of Salerno ( it, Università degli Studi di Salerno, UNISA) is a university located in Fisciano and in Baronissi, Italy. Its main campus is located in Fisciano while the Faculty of Medicine is located in Baronissi. It is organized ...
but he left after deciding to move to Rome trying to enter the music business.
In 1976 Mango recorded his first album, ''La mia ragazza è un gran caldo''. Two songs from the album, "Per te che mi apri l'universo" and "Tu pioggia io mattino", attracted the attention of Patty Pravo
Patty Pravo (born Nicoletta Strambelli on 9 April 1948) is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in popularity in the followin ...
, who put them on her album ''Tanto'' (1976), though, the title of the second song was changed in "Per amarti d'amore". Mia Martini
Mia Martini (; born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè ; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995) was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.comMogol changed his mind.
''Credo'' (1997) contains the single "Luce" which was performed by Mango along with Zenîma at the 1998 Sanremo Music Festival; an English version of the song called "Light" was included in the 1998 reissue.
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mango 1954 births 2014 deaths People from Lagonegro 20th-century Italian male singers 21st-century Italian male singers Filmed deaths of entertainers Italian male singer-songwriters Musicians who died on stage
Breakthrough and success
His breakthrough came in 1985 with the album ''Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
'', from which the single "Il viaggio" was performed by Mango at 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 ...
of the same year. In 1986 he released ''Odissea
''Odissea'' is the fifth studio album released by Mango, in 1986.
The album contains some of his most known songs - "Lei verrà" and "Oro" - and two songs in English language - "Love is just a melody" and "Modern love" co-written with Simon Marsh ...
'', which was a turning point in his career and contains some of his most famous songs, "Lei verrà
"Lei verrà" () is an Italian song composed by Mango and Alberto Salerno and performed by Mango. It is included in the 1986 album '' Odissea''.
Background
The song was entered into the main competition at the 36th edition of the Sanremo Music Fe ...
" and "Oro". The album saw the collaboration of Brian Auger
Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ.
Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, an ...
on the keyboards. 1987's '' Adesso'' includes the successful single "Bella d'estate", co-written with Lucio Dalla
Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards.
Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...
.
Other notable records are ''Sirtaki
Sirtaki or syrtaki ( el, συρτάκι) is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film ''Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of "syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance ...
'' (1990), from which famous singles such as the title-track, "Nella mia città" and "Come Monna Lisa" were extracted, and ''Come l'acqua
''Come l'acqua'' is the ninth studio album by Italian pop singer Mango (singer), Mango, released in 1992.
The album contains "Mediterraneo", one of the most successful singles by Mango.
The string sections were recorded at the Abbey Road Studios ...
'' (1992), known for the song "Mediterraneo". The album featured the involvement of musicians like drummer Manu Katché
Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...
and bassist Pino Palladino
Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...
. Around this time, Mango also recorded three albums in Spanish: ''Ahora'' (1987), '' Hierro y Fuego'' (1988) and a Spanish version of ''Sirtaki
Sirtaki or syrtaki ( el, συρτάκι) is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film ''Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of "syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance ...
'' (1991). On 30 April 1988 the single "Flor de Verano", Spanish version of "Bella d'estate" from ''Ahora'', peaked at number No. 1 on the Spain's Los 40 Principales
Los 40 (The 40, stylized as LOS40 and formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', es, Los Cuarenta) is a Top 40 music radio network and radio station brand in many Spanish-speaking countries from PRISA Radio. The station has its origins as a music show ...
. Mango participated at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Dove vai", accompanied by world musician Ayub Ogada
Job Seda (1956 – 1 February 2019), better known as Ayub Ogada, was a Kenyan singer. He was a singer favoring the nyatiti (an eight-stringed lyre with its origins credited to the Luo, a tribe in Nyanza Kenya) as his characteristic instrument. ...
.
''Credo'' (1997) contains the single "Luce" which was performed by Mango along with Zenîma at the 1998 Sanremo Music Festival; an English version of the song called "Light" was included in the 1998 reissue. Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
's guitarist David Rhodes and Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...
's drummer Mel Gaynor
Mel George Gaynor (born 29 May 1959) is a British drummer, best known as the longtime drummer for the rock band Simple Minds.
Biography
Gaynor was born to a Jamaican father and an Afro-Brazilian mother. He began drumming at age 11 and had ...
played on the record. The track "Amore per te", from the album ''Visto così'' (1999), was used as the Italian theme of the telenovela '' El Privilegio de Amar''. In 2004 he released ''Ti Porto in Africa'', which went double platinum. His last work is ''La terra degli aquiloni'', released in 2011. The album featured a Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...
cover of the song "Volver".
Death
On evening 7 December 2014, Mango suffered a heart attack during a concert inPolicoro
Policoro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. With some 17,000 inhabitants, is bounded by the towns of Rotondella, Scanzano Jonico and Tursi. Situated on the coast, its pop ...
, province of Matera
The province of Matera ( it, Provincia di Matera; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city Matera has a population of 61,204. T ...
. While performing the song "Oro", he raised an arm and said "excuse me" in Italian to the crowd. He then raised his arm again and collapsed. Mango was taken off stage, and the rest of the concert was canceled. He died before arriving at the hospital in the early hours of the following day. He was 60.
On 9 December, his older brother Giovanni felt sick during the wake and died at the hospital, aged 75. He is believed to have also died from a heart attack.
Personal life
A very reserved person who rarely appeared in mass media, Mango was married to Laura Valente, known for her tenure as vocalist with the pop bandMatia Bazar
Matia Bazar () is an Italian pop band formed in Genoa in 1975. The original members of the group were Piero Cassano (keyboards), Aldo Stellita (bass), Carlo Marrale (guitar, vocals), Giancarlo Golzi (drums) and Antonella Ruggiero (vocals). T ...
. From their marriage two children were born: Filippo (b. 1995) and Angelina (b. 1999). They both collaborated with their father, Filippo as a drummer and Angelina as a singer.
Songwriting
Mango wrote songs that were performed by other artists:Cover
Some of his songs were rearranged by Italian and foreign artists, including:Discography
Studio albums
* ''La mia ragazza è un gran caldo'' (1976) * ''Arlecchino'' (1979) * ''È pericoloso sporgersi'' (1982) * ''Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
'' (1985)
* ''Odissea
''Odissea'' is the fifth studio album released by Mango, in 1986.
The album contains some of his most known songs - "Lei verrà" and "Oro" - and two songs in English language - "Love is just a melody" and "Modern love" co-written with Simon Marsh ...
'' (1986)
* '' Adesso'' (1987)
* '' Inseguendo l’aquila'' (1988)
* ''Sirtaki
Sirtaki or syrtaki ( el, συρτάκι) is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film ''Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of "syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance ...
'' (1990)
* ''Come l'acqua
''Come l'acqua'' is the ninth studio album by Italian pop singer Mango (singer), Mango, released in 1992.
The album contains "Mediterraneo", one of the most successful singles by Mango.
The string sections were recorded at the Abbey Road Studios ...
'' (1992)
* ''L'Oro Di Mango'' (1993)
* ''Mango'' (1994)
* ''Credo'' (1997)
* '' Disincanto'' (2002)
* ''Ti porto in Africa'' (2004)
* ''Ti amo così'' (2005)
* ''L’albero delle fate'' (2007)
* ''La terra degli aquiloni'' (2011)
Live albums
* ''Dove vai'' (1995) * ''Gli amori son finestre
''Gli Amori Son Finestre'' is the second live album of Italian singer Mango, published in 2009 and part of the ''Acchiappanuvole Tour''.
The album contains twenty-nine tracks, including two unreleased songs and one poem recited by actor Flavio In ...
'' (2009)
Compilations
* ''Visto così'' (1999) * ''Tutto Mango: oro e platino'' (2006)Albums recorded in Spanish
*'' Ahora'' (1987) *'' Hierro y Fuego'' (1988) *''Sirtaki
Sirtaki or syrtaki ( el, συρτάκι) is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film ''Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of "syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance ...
'' (1991)
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mango 1954 births 2014 deaths People from Lagonegro 20th-century Italian male singers 21st-century Italian male singers Filmed deaths of entertainers Italian male singer-songwriters Musicians who died on stage