Umberto Napolitano (born 25 May 1947) is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer, mainly successful in the 1970s.
Life and career
Born in
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
, Napolitano started his career performing at the Nebbia Club in Milan.
He first entered the music industry just as a composer, and had his breakout in 1966 writing for
Carmen Villani
Carmen Villani (born 21 May 1944) is a former Italian pop singer. She had a recognisable voice and an outstanding musical sense. Villani was a versatile performer, featuring elements of gospel and blues. She is considered among the finest exampl ...
the pacifist
protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
Among social mov ...
"Mille chitarre contro la guerra".
[Dario Salvatori. "Napolitano, Umberto". Gino Castaldo (edited by). ''Dizionario della canzone italiana''. Curcio Editore, 1990.]
For his professional career as a singer Napolitano initially adopted the mononym Umberto, and got his first success with the song "Gioventù", which was entered at the
Un disco per l'estate
Un disco per l'estate (translation "A Record for the Summer") was an Italian Summer festival held from 1964 to 2003. It was organized and sponsored by the Italian record industry association, AFI, and by RAI, except for the editions between 1995 ...
festival and was chosen as the opening song of the popular
RAI
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terr ...
television game show ''Chissà chi lo sa?''.
He had a significant success in the second half of the 1970s, specializing in a light and romantic pop repertoire, and taking part to several editions of 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 ...
.
Artists who recorded his songs include
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 ...
,
Rita Pavone
Rita Pavone (; born August 23, 1945) is an Italian-Swiss ballad and rock singer and actress, who enjoyed success through the 1960s.
Singing career
She was born in Turin, Italy. In 1962 she participated in, and won, the first Festival degli Scon ...
,
Caterina Caselli
Caterina Caselli (born 10 April 1946) is an Italian record producer, music executive, singer and bass player.
Biography
Caselli was born in Modena but grew up in Sassuolo. She started her music career by playing bass in local clubs.
In 1966 sh ...
,
Ricchi e Poveri
Ricchi e Poveri (; "The Rich and The Poor") is an Italian pop group formed in Genoa 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 r ...
,
Nomadi Nomadi (or I Nomadi, meaning "Nomads") is an Italian band formed in 1963 and still present on the music scene.
Career
Origins
In 1961, Beppe Carletti and Leonardo Manfredini formed the group I Monelli (‘Urchins’).
In 1962, Carletti met Franco ...
,
I Nuovi Angeli
I Nuovi Angeli ("The New Angels") are an Italian pop band formed in 1966 in Milan. The name refers to the eponymous drama film directed by Ugo Gregoretti in 1962.
Biography
I Nuovi Angeli formed in 1966 from the merging of two bands – Paki & ...
,
Dori Ghezzi
Dori Ghezzi (born 30 March 1946) is an Italian singer who was active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1989. In the 1970s, Ghezzi worked mainly in a duo with American singer Wess, and the couple represented Italy in the 1975 Eurovision Song ...
,
Gilda Giuliani
Gilda Giuliani (born 19 June 1954) is an Italian singer, mainly successful in the 1970s.
Life and career
Born in Termoli, Campobasso, Italy, after some experiences as a chorist in 1972 Giuliani won "Due voci per Sanremo", a contest organized by ...
,
Rosanna Fratello
Rosanna Fratello (born 26 March 1951) is an Italian singer and actress.
Biography and career
Born in San Severo, Foggia, Fratello emerged as singer in 1969, when she took part at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Il treno" and obtained h ...
,
Antoine
Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin.
The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
.
He also worked as a comics writer.
Discography
;Album
* 1977 - ''Giro di "do" - Una canzone d'amore per ogni innamorato'' (Warner Bros. Records, T 56376)
* 1979 - ''Umberto Napolitano'' (Why Records, T 56611)
* 1981 - ''Noi due nella vita e nell'amore'' (Amiamoci, AM 4002)
* 1985 - ''Per le strade del mondo'' (Harmony, LPH 8050)
* 1987 - ''Dietro la collina'' (Pineapple Records, PNLP 2021)
* 1989 - ''Al mio caro pianeta terra... dieci piccole grandi storie'' (Iperspazio, PDLP 2289)
* 1991 - ''Riccioli'' (Dig-It, PL 12042)
* 1998 - ''Un'estate d'amore'' (D.V. More Record, CDDV 6201)
* 2016 - ''Il bruco'' (Dielle record)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napolitano, Umberto
People from Brescia
1947 births
Living people
Italian male singer-songwriters
Italian singer-songwriters
20th-century Italian male singers