Ricchi e Poveri (; "The Rich and The Poor") is an Italian
pop group formed in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
in 1967, originally consisting of Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu, Franco Gatti and Marina Occhiena. Active since the late 1960s, they have sold over 20 million records.
History
1967–1969: Formation and early years
The group was created in 1967 as a polyphonic quartet by singers Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu, Franco Gatti and Marina Occhiena in 1967. All from Genoa, only Sotgiu has
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
n roots. The band got their name from Roman songwriter
Franco Califano who once joked that they were "spiritually rich and financially poor". The quartet earned its own unique vocal style, based on the intertwining of four different voices: bass, tenor, alto and soprano.
Their first public appearance was in
Cantagiro
Cantagiro was an Italian summer song contest held from 1962 to 1972 and 1990 to 1993. It featured three categories, A for famous artists, B for newcomers and C for groups. The creator of the competition was Ezio Radaelli. The name of the festival ...
1968 with "
L'ultimo amore". Ricchi e Poveri has 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 annua ...
several times since 1970; in 1971 they sang there "
Che sarà", which was performed by
José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " F ...
and by the composer of the song's music,
Jimmy Fontana
Jimmy Fontana (13 November 1934 – 11 September 2013) was an Italian actor, composer and singer-songwriter. Two of his most famous songs are " Che sarà", performed also by José Feliciano with Ricchi e Poveri, and " Il Mondo".
Biography
Born ...
. 1971 was the last year of the Sanremo festival in which each song was performed twice, each time by a different artist. Ricchi e Poveri gave the second performance of the song, following Feliciano, who had worldwide hits with Italian, Spanish and English versions of the song.
Ricchi e Poveri represented Italy at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Paris, France, following the country's victory at the with the song " L'Oiseau et l'Enfant" by Marie Myriam. Organised by the Europea ...
with the song "
Questo amore" finishing 12th with 53 points. In 1981 Marina Occhiena left the group to pursue a solo career.
Ricchi e Poveri has recorded in
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 ...
and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
some of theIr 1980s and 1990s hits, including "
Mamma Maria", "Made in Italy", "M'innamoro di te" and "
Se m'innamoro
"Se m'innamoro" is an Italian song composed by Cristiano Minellono and Dario Farina, arranged by Fio Zanotti and performed by the Europop group Ricchi e Poveri. The song won the 35th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival.
The group also r ...
".
Sarà perché ti amo
In 1981 the band recorded a Spanish version of the single "
Sarà perché ti amo
"Sarà perché ti amo" (; "It must be so because I love you") is the sixth single of Italo disco group Ricchi e Poveri.
History
The song was released in February 1981 on Baby Records and premiered live at the 31st edition of the famous Festiv ...
". The song, retitled "
Será porque te amo
Sera may refer to:
People
* Ryu Sera (born 1987), South Korean singer
* Sera Cahoone (born 1975), Seattle-based singer and musician
Places
* Sera, Hiroshima, a town in Japan
* Sera District, Hiroshima
* Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet
...
", became a hit in Mexico, the Caribbean, and in Central and South America.
Several groups covered the song, adapting it to different genres including tropical, dance, and various forms of Mexican folk music known as ''
Grupera
Grupera (also known as Grupero or Onda Grupera) is a genre of Regional Mexican music. It reached the height of its popularity in the 1990s, especially in rural areas. The music has roots in the rock groups of the 1960s, but today generally consis ...
''. The Latino boy band projects Los Chicos and Los Chamos, and the Italo-Dance band
Eu4ya also covered the song, but the lyrics were heavily altered; only the chorus line was kept in one verse and the rest was rearranged to make the song more appealing to teenagers.
The song is featured in some film soundtracks: ''L'Effrontée'' (1985), ''Spike of Bensonhurst'' (1988), ''High Tension'' (2003) and ''Unmade Beds'' (2009).
As of 2007 the song is still being covered in all genres and it has achieved somewhat of a cult/nostalgia status in several Spanish-speaking countries, as a symbol of a generation. The song was remade in 2008 in German, by
Diana Sorbello
Diana Sorbello (born 27 June 1979 in Bocholt, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German schlager singer.
Biography
Diana Sorbello studied sociology, pedagogy and civil rights at the University of Münster from 1998 till 2003.
Music career
She w ...
as "Das ist, weil ich dich liebe" and in 2011, in Dutch, by Monique Smit and Tim Douwsma as "Eén zomeravond met jou".
Recent years
Ricchi e Poveri held two massive concerts in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
island of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
on the 12 and 13 June 2009. The band’s popularity in Malta resulted in another concert on 6 November 2010. Ricchi e Poveri completed a tour of Italy and
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
in 2012, followed at the beginning of 2013 with a three song set in the Discoteka 80's concert in Moscow.
In 2016 the group's founder, Franco Gatti, retired from the group at the age of 74.
In 2020 the original line-up reunited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band’s debut 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 annua ...
.
Gatti died on 18 October 2022 at the age of 80.
Personnel
* Angela Brambati – vocals
(1967–present)
* Angelo Sotgiu – vocals, guitars, saxophones
(1967–present)
* Franco Gatti – guitars, vocals, keyboards
(1967–2016, 2020–2021; died 2022)
* Marina Occhiena – vocals
(1967–1981, 2020–2021)
Discography
* ''Ricchi e Poveri'' (1970)
* ''Amici miei'' (1971)
* ''Penso sorrido e canto'' (1974)
* ''RP2'' (1975)
* ''Ricchi & Poveri'' (1976)
* ''I musicanti'' (1976)
* ''Questo amore'' (1978)
* ''La stagione dell'amore'' (1980)
* ''E penso a te'' (1981)
[Billboard - 8 Aug 1981 "Now the Ricchi e Poveri act is set for an album release in Germany"]
* ''Mamma Maria'' (1982)
* ''Voulez-vous danser'' (1984)
* ''Dimmi quando'' (1985)
* ''Pubblicità'' (1987)
* ''Buona giornata e...'' (1990)
* ''Allegro italiano'' (1992)
* ''Parla col cuore'' (1999)
* ''Perdutamente amore'' (2012)
* ''ReuniON'' (2021)
Compilations
* 1972 — ''Un diadema di successi''
* 1978 — ''Ricchi & Poveri''
* 1982 — ''Come eravamo''
* 1982 — ''Profili musicali''
* 1983 — ''Made in Italy''
* 1984 — ''Ieri e Oggi''
* 1990 — ''Canzoni d'amore''
* 1990 — ''Una domenica con te''
* 1993 — ''Anche tu...''
* 1994 — ''I più grandi successi''
* 1997 — ''Piccolo Amore''
* 1998 — ''BMG Collection''
* 2000 — ''I grandi successi originali''
* 2008 — ''Greatest Hits''
* 2011 — ''Le canzoni, la nostra storia''
Singles in English
* 1981 — "Make It With Me"/"Sarà perché ti amo"
References
External Links
*
*
{{Authority control
Italian musical groups
Musical groups established in 1967
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Italy
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1978
Sanremo Music Festival winners
Spanish-language singers of Italy
Musical groups from Liguria