Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (; born 7 July 1943) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his worldwide hit song, "

L'Italiano "L'Italiano" (; Italian for "The Italian") is an Italian pop song by Toto Cutugno released in 1983. It was his biggest international hit and is his best-known composition. The song was forgotten during the 1990s and was re-discovered when Toto Cu ...

", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the

Eurovision Song Contest 1990 The Eurovision Song Contest 1990 was the 35th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia, following the country's victory at the with the song " Rock Me" by Riva. It was the only time Yugoslavia ...

held in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

with the song " Insieme: 1992", for which he wrote both lyrics and music.

Biography

Toto Cutugno was born in

Fosdinovo Fosdinovo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Massa and Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Massa. Fosdinovo borders the following municipalities: Aulla, Carrara, Cast ...

Lunigiana The Lunigiana () is a historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of Massa Carrara, Tuscany, and La Spezia, Liguria. Its borders derive from the ancient Roman settlement, later the medieval diocese of Luni, which no long ...

, (

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

), to a Sicilian father from

Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (; Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Baccialona Pizzaottu'') is a town and ''comune'' of about 50,000 inhabitants in the north coast of Sicily, Italy, from Messina, Italy, Messina towards Palermo. It belongs to the M ...

and a homemaker mother. Shortly after his birth the family moved to

La Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest city ...

(

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

). He began his musical career as a drummer, and later formed an

Italo disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...

band together with Lino Losito and Mario Limongelli called Albatros. He also started a career as songwriter, contributing some of French-American singer

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (1911 ...

most well-known songs such as '' L'été indien'', '' Et si tu n'existais pas'' and ''Le Jardin du Luxembourg'' (written with

Vito Pallavicini Vito Pallavicini (22 April 1924 – 16 August 2007) was an Italian lyricist. Born in Vigevano, he wrote numerous songs, during his career for Adriano Celentano (''Azzurro''), Caterina Caselli (''Insieme a te non ci sto più "Insieme a te non ...

). He also co-wrote

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

's '' Monday Tuesday... Laissez moi danser'' ("Voglio l'anima"), which enjoyed Platinum record status shortly after its release. In 1976, Albatros participated for the first time 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 ...

finishing in third place with the song ''Volo 504''. Following another chart success with the song ''Santamaria De Portugal'' Albatros effectively dibanded, and Cutugno concentrated on his solo career. In 1980 Cutugno returned to the Sanremo Music Festival and won with the song ''Solo noi''. However, Cutugno's affiliation with the festival is mostly remembered for ''L'italiano'' ("The Italian"), a song he presented in 1983. Originally intended for

Adriano Celentano Adriano Celentano (; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian musician, singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is dubbed "''il Molleggiato''" (the springy one) because of his dancing. Celentano's many albums frequently enjoyed both commercial and ...

, who declined to sing it, ''L'italiano''s recapitulation of some of Italy's most popular social traits, made the song very popular with Italian expats. Although the song finished only fifth in Sanremo, it went on to become Cutugno's biggest international hit. Cutugno would finish second in six more editions of Sanremo festival: in 1984 with the song ''Serenata'' ("Serenade"); in 1987 with ''Figli'' ("Sons" or "Children"); in 1988 with ''Emozioni'' ("Emotions"); in 1989 with the song ''Le mamme'' ("Mothers"); in 1990 with the song ''Gli amori'' ("Loves", but entitled "Good Love Gone Bad" in

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

's version); and in 2005 with

Annalisa Minetti Annalisa Minetti (born 27 December 1976 in Rho) is an Italian singer, politician and Paralympic athlete. Minetti was a beauty pageant contestant in the 1997 edition of Miss Italia; she gained public attention because she was the first blind woman ...

with the song ''Come noi nessuno al mondo'' ("No One Else in the World Like Us"). Toto Cutugno participated to the festival a total of 13 times. In 1990 Cutugno won the

Eurovision Song Contest 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 his own composition, " Insieme: 1992" ("Together: 1992"), a ballad which celebrated European political integration and the establishment of the European Union. Along with

Gigliola Cinquetti Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter, and television presenter. Life and career Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona. From the ages of 9 to 13, she studied and ...

, Italy's second Eurovision winner, he presented the 1991 contest, which was staged in Rome as a result of his victory. Aged 46 years, 302 days, Cutugno became the oldest winner of the contest to date, surpassing the record set by André Claveau in 1958. Cutugno's record stood until 2000. He was also the last winner for Italy until

Måneskin Måneskin are an Italian Rock music, rock band formed in Rome in 2016. The band are composed of vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. Performing in the streets in their early days, ...

in 2021. In March 2019 a group of politicians from the

Ukrainian Parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

tried to stop Cutugno from performing in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, demanding through an open letter to the head of the country's security services,

Vasyl Hrytsak Vasyl Serhiiovych Hrytsak ( uk, Василь Сергійович Грицак; born 14 January 1967, Bushcha, Dubno Raion, Rivne Oblast, the USSR) is a Ukrainian serviceman, army general, and the fourteenth head of the Security Service of Ukraine ...

, to ban the singer from entering Ukrainian territory, labelling him as "a Russian war supporter in Ukraine". Two days before, fellow singer

Al Bano Albano Antonio Carrisi (; born 20 May 1943), better known as Al Bano, is an Italian tenor, actor, and winemaker. He is one of the most recognisable Italian singers in the world whose career spans 7 decades. He has gained notability due to his vo ...

was black listed on the Ukrainian website "

Myrotvorets Myrotvorets or Mirotvorets ( uk, Миротворець, lit=Peacemaker ), is a Ukrainian Kyiv-based website that publishes a running list, and sometimes personal information, of people who are considered by authors of the website to be "enemies ...

". Despite the controversy, the concert was eventually held in Kyiv on 23 March.

Personal life

Cutugno is married to Carla Cutugno.

Discography

* ''Come ieri, come oggi, come sempre'' (1978) * ''Voglio l'anima'' (1979) * ''Innamorata, innamorato, innamorati'' (1980) * ''La mia musica'' (1982) * ''L'italiano'' (1983) * ''Per amore o per gioco'' (1985) * ''Azzura malinconia'' (1986) * ''Mediterraneo'' (1987) * ''Toto Cutugno'' (1990) * Insieme: 1992 (1990) * ''Non è facile essere uomini'' (1992) * ''Voglio andare a vivere in campagna'' (1995) * ''Canzoni nascoste'' (1997) * ''Il treno va'' (2002) * ''Cantando'' (2004) * ''Come noi nessuno al mondo'' (2005) * ''Un falco chiuso in gabbia'' (2008) * ''I Miei Sanremo'' (2010) * ''Ritratto: 50 anni di musica'' (2015)

With Albatros

* ''Albatros'' (1976)

References

External links