Zucchero Fornaciari Songs
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Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teacher used to call him. His music is largely inspired by
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
,
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 ...
,
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
and
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
, and alternates between Italian
ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
and more rhythmic R&B- boogie-like pieces. He is credited as the "father of Italian blues", introducing blues to the big stage in Italy. He is one of the few European blues artists who still enjoys great international success. In his career, spanning more than three decades, Fornaciari has sold over 60 million records around the world, and internationally his most successful singles are "Diamante", "Il Volo/My Love", " Baila (Sexy Thing)/Baila morena", and the duet " Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" with
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
. He has won numerous awards, including four
Festivalbar The Festivalbar was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by RAI. ...
, nine
Wind Music Awards The TIM Music Awards, known between 2007–2013 and 2015–2018 as Wind Music Awards and between 2019 and 2021 as SEAT Music Awards are non-competitive music awards honoring Italian music artists who have sold a certain number of copies of an al ...
, two
World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...
(1993, 1996), six
IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
Europe Platinum Awards, and a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination. He has collaborated and performed with many famous artists, including
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
,
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
,
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...
, Brian May,
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
,
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 ...
,
B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
,
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
,
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
,
Dolores O'Riordan Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist for the alternative rock band the Cranberries. One of the most recogniza ...
,
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
,
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 ...
,
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
, and
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 ...
.


Early life

Adelmo Fornaciari was born 25 September 1955 in Roncocesi, a ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'' (small village) near
Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
. His father, Giuseppe Fornaciari, and mother, Rina Bondavalli, came from rural families. At a young age, he was the goalkeeper of
A.C. Reggiana 1919 Associazione Calcio Reggiana 1919, commonly referred to as Reggiana, is a professional football club based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The club was formed in 2018 upon an idea of 1919, and plays in the Serie C, the third tier of It ...
. He spent most of his childhood in the seaside town of
Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is a sea town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians from 1993 to 2013. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi's ...
(
Province of Lucca The province of Lucca ( it, provincia di Lucca) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca. It has an area of and a total population of about 390,000. There are 33 ''comuni'' (singular: ''comune'') in the pro ...
,
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 ...
). There, he sang in the choir and played an
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
in the local church. At the age of 12 or 13, he discovered American soul and blues music thanks to an African-American friend who was studying in
Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
and lived near his home. The first song he played to Fornaciari was ''
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was recorded by Redding twice in 1967, including once just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Th ...
'' by
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
, and this immediately inspired his interest in soul music. The friend taught Fornaciari how to play on the guitar songs by Redding,
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
, and
Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...
. Fornaciari then got together with friends to play
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
, finding his own way to fuse black music and Mediterranean music. He started writing his own songs when he was 13 or 14 years old, and after learning basic instruments, from 16 he moved on to learning the
tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
. In Forte dei Marmi, he finished his technical high school studies, and moved again, this time to the city of
Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...
.


Career


1970–1986: Early career and first albums

His musical
career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defin ...
began in 1970, with several small bands such as I Duca, Le nuove luci, I Decals, Sugar & Daniel, Sugar & Candies. At that time, he was studying
veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
; although he liked animals and the course (taking 39 out of the 51 exams), he wanted to be different from his parents and withdrew from the course in order to pursue his aspirations. In 1975, he went to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, and there met the then-young Corrado Rustici from
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, his future record producer. They talked about a future collaboration on a project with Afro-American influences which was then unusual for Italy In 1979, Zucchero wrote "Tutto di te" by
Fred Bongusto Alfredo Antonio Carlo Buongusto (6 April 1935 – 8 November 2019), known by his stage name Fred Bongusto, was an Italian light music singer, songwriter and composer who was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Career history Bongusto was born ...
, and the hit "Te ne vai" by Michele Pecora. He found initial success with a band named Taxi, with whom he won the
Castrocaro Music Festival The Castrocaro Music Festival, also known as Concorso per Voci Nuove, is an Italian musical contest which takes place every year in the town of Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, near Forlì, from 1957. The competition is exclusively reserved for ne ...
in 1981. He made his first appearance in the famous
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 ...
in 1982 with the song "Una notte che vola via" but without success. However, he wrote and produced the festival hit song "Lisa" by Stefano Sani. In the 1983 festival, he had a similar success with "Nuvola", and went on to write four other festival songs, including "Volevo dirti", sung by Donatella Milani, which was placed second. His first album, ''
Un po' di Zucchero The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...
'', was released the same year with moderate success. Although as a young songwriter, he had great success, his solo career did not initially reach the same level of success that he and producers had expected. Disappointed with his solo career, in 1984 he temporarily moved to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where he collaborated with his old friend Corrado Rustici. The result of these sessions, with a backing band that included bassist
Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
, was the 1985 album ''Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band'', and the song "Donne" (in English, "Women"). He again played at the Sanremo festival and, although the song "Donne" ended up in a disappointing penultimate place (due to the festival critics), it became a hit single and one of the classic Italian songs. After the relative success of ''Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band'', Fornaciari joined Rustici again in California to work on a follow-up album. '' Rispetto'' (1986) (in English, "Respect") included several Italian hit singles, including the title track and "Come il sole all'improvviso" (in English, "Suddenly, like the sun"). It went platinum and sold over 300,000 copies.


1987–1994: Breakthrough in Italy and first international successes

Although ''Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band'' and ''Rispetto'' were commercially successful, it was the 1987 album '' Blue's'' that went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history (until his following album in 1989), selling 1.5 million copies in 1987 alone; it made Fornaciari a household name in Italy, and neighbouring countries. The album, again produced by Rustici and featuring musical performances by
Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...
,
The Memphis Horns The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. The duo consisted of Wayne Jackson (November 24, 1941 – June 21, 2016) on trumpet and Andrew Love (November 21, 1941 - April 12, 2012) on ...
and
David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...
, included the Italian hit singles "Con Le Mani" (in English, "With the hands"), with lyrics by
Gino Paoli Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934 in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: " Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa ...
, the controversial "Solo una sana..." (in English "Only a healthy...."), and the original version of "
Senza una donna "Senza una donna" () is a song written and performed by Italian singer and musician Zucchero on his fourth album, ''Blue's'' (1987). Originally recorded in Italian, in 1990 it was re-recorded in English with English singer and musician Paul Youn ...
" (in English, "Without a woman") which later became an international hit in a duet version with
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
. During the following Blue's Tour Fornaciari shared the stage with
Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
(for a cover of "
With a Little Help From My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pe ...
"),
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 ...
and
Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...
. In the same year, he also composed the soundtrack for the film ''
Snack Bar Budapest ''Snack Bar Budapest'' is a 1988 Italian neo-noir comedy film written and directed by Tinto Brass and starring Giancarlo Giannini. It is based on the novel with the same title by Marco Lodoli and Silvia Bre.- - Plot A disbarred lawyer (Giancarlo ...
,'' written and directed by
Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...
. In 1989, Fornaciari and his band recorded the album ''
Oro Incenso & Birra ''Oro Incenso & Birra'' (Gold, Frankincense & Beer) is the fifth studio album released by the Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari on 13 June 1989. As with his previous album ''Blue's'', the album is credited to "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari ...
'' in Memphis. The album, which was greatly influenced by American soul music, included guest appearances by
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
,
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, and blues singer
Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Rec ...
; Fornaciari's band by that time included former
E-Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing car ...
member
David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...
. The album still stands as not only one of Fornaciari's, but also Italian most successful albums, outselling even ''Blue's'' and includes the Italian hit singles "Diamante" (lyrics written by
Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referring to the elegance of his lyrics. He is of ...
, dedicated to Zucchero's grandmother Diamante), "Overdose (d'Amore)", "Il Mare" and "Wonderful World". The single "Diamante" included new version of the song "Dune Mosse" recorded along
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
. Davis himself insisted to re-record the song with Zucchero, describing it "interesting Mediterranean type of blues". As of 2015 are reported sales of over 8 million copies. By the ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
Italia'' it was included among the most beautiful Italian music albums of all time. After the million selling success of ''Blue's'' and ''Oro Incenso & Birra'' in Italy, and his live collaborations with Joe Cocker,
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...
, Eric Clapton (whom supported on tour and performed at
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) and Miles Davis, Fornaciari from 1990 on attempted to conquer the rest of Europe. The album ''Blue's'' was released the following year in the United Kingdom, and in 1990 ''Zucchero Sings His Hits in English'', an album that featured songs from the ''Blue's'' and ''Oro Incenso & Birra'' albums, some of which translated to English by Frank Musker, was released worldwide. Fornaciari's best known hit "
Senza una donna "Senza una donna" () is a song written and performed by Italian singer and musician Zucchero on his fourth album, ''Blue's'' (1987). Originally recorded in Italian, in 1990 it was re-recorded in English with English singer and musician Paul Youn ...
" ("Without a Woman"), in a
duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...
with
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
, is from this album. The first pressing of the album didn't feature the duet: the song was performed by Fornaciari only. The duet was a great success worldwide, it topped the
European Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
, Italian, Belgian, Norwegian, and Swedish charts, and reached the top 3–5 in other international charts in 1991 including UK and US. Other European singles from the Hits album include English versions of "Diamante", and "Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton). Diamante was later released as a duet with
Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...
, a variant not available on any album until the special edition of '' Zu & Co.'' (2004). Although advised to record in English to achieve international popularity he expressed doubt; "unfortunately, the only songs you can translate easily into English are the ballads, the love songs. That is a shame". Between 1991 and 1993 Fornaciari continued duetting with some of the world's most famous artists, such as
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
,
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
, a young
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 ...
(who after the Zucchero's collaboration on "Miserere" started to get growing popularity),
Peter Maffay Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Early life Born in Braşov (german: link=no, Kronstadt), Romania, the son of a German (Transylvanian Saxon), h ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, Brian May and Eric Clapton. Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation ''Zu & Co.'' (2004). The 1991 was released Fornaciari's first live album ''Live at the Kremlin'', recorded in
Moscow Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...
1990 (being the first Western artist to perform there after the fall of
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
) and featuring guest appearances by Randy Crawford (on
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
's "
Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
") and
Toni Childs Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957) is an American-Australian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her songs "Don't Walk Away" (a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in the United States in 1988), "I've Got to Go Now", a Top 5 hit ...
. In 1992 was invited by Brian May to perform at
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, d ...
, with the remaining three members of
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
- Brian May,
John Deacon John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", " Another One Bit ...
and
Roger Taylor Roger Taylor may refer to: *Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) (born 1949), drummer for Queen *Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer) (born 1960), drummer for Duran Duran *Roger Taylor (author), author of epic fantasy Hawklan series *Roger Taylor (college pr ...
, singing "
Las Palabras de Amor "Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)" is a rock ballad by the British rock band Queen. It was released as the third single from their 1982 album ''Hot Space''. It is sung mostly in English, but with several Spanish phrases. Written by guita ...
". He admitted having been 'terrified' before hitting the Wembley Stadium stage, as this was his first time performing live at a worldwide broadcast event. In 1993 was invited by
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
to perform at
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...
in celebration of 46th birthday of
John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his ca ...
, playing "Diavolo in me" and "You are so beautiful" supported by
The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...
Band. Between 1992 and 2003 was the regular cast of the charity concerts Pavarotti & Friends organized by Luciano Pavarotti, where also performed along Pavarotti and B.B. King, for the children in
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
,
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
,
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, Angola and Iraq. In 1992 Fornaciari released the million selling album ''Miserere (album), Miserere''. Again produced by Corrado Rustici, it was a much darker album than Fornaciari's previous works, which was made clear by the title track "Miserere" (Have Mercy), a duet with
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
. The "darkness" reflects his intimate personal life from the time when lived in solitude and depression after the divorce. Elvis Costello co-wrote the track "Miss Mary", U2's
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
was responsible for the English version of the "Miserere", and Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile co-wrote two tracks. On the album and during the tour, Fornaciari was accompanied by former Santana (band), Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. The English version of the title track "Miserere" peaked at number 15 in UK. The compilation album ''Diamante'' was released in Mexico and other Latin American countries in 1994, and was an attempt to use the same method of ''Zucchero sings his hits in English'' for the Spanish and Latin American market. In 1994 Zucchero was the only Italian artist to perform at the 25th anniversary edition of the Woodstock '94, Woodstock festival.


1995–2008: Peak of musical career

The 1995 album ''Spirito DiVino'', that included the smash European hits "Il Volo", "Papà perché?" and "X colpa di chi", is one of Fornaciari's most successful up to date, selling over 2,5 million copies in Europe alone (until 1996) and ending up on the first place in the Italian year charts, and Top 5 in France and Switzerland, the album proved a huge commercial success. On the album Fornaciari adds a certain New Orleans blues feeling to his music (especially on songs like "Voodoo Voodoo") and is accompanied by musicians such as
David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...
,
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
(on "Papa Perché?"), Sheila E. (on "Alleluja", written by Italian rapper Jovanotti) and former Chuck Berry pianist Johnny Johnson. It, with the upcoming compilation, was promoted with over 150 concerts, an estimated audience of 1.4 million people. The compilation ''The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits'' was released in 1996, shooting into all European charts, up to the number one position in France and Italy, and selling over 3 million copies in Europe. The CD, released in an Italian and an English version, contained 13 of Fornaciari's greatest hits (excluding the ''Miserere'' period) and three new songs including the hit single "Menta e rosmarino" ("I feel so lonely tonight"). The re-redition in 1997 included Continental hit cover of "Va pensiero" by Giuseppe Verdi. During the sold-out tour Fornaciari sang with Buddy Guy in Milan, and played "My Love" (the English version of "Il Volo") and "Un piccolo aiuto" (together with Eric Clapton) during the '96 Pavarotti and Friends show. The Best of Tour also brought Fornaciari to the US for the first time playing to four sold out consecutive concerts at House of Blue in Los Angeles. He performed for the fundraising Rainforest Foundation Fund, Rainforest Foundation in New York City, New York, and Zoological Society of Florida, Miami. On the 1998 album ''Bluesugar'', Fornaciari moved from ''Spirito DiVinos New Orleans feeling to a more British rock style, like of Robert Johnson and Radiohead. The band recording it included Santana bassist Benny Rietveld and bluesharp player Mark Feltham (musician), Mark Feltham. Steve Winwood played Hammond on two songs, while Bono wrote the lyrics to the English version of lead single "Blu". The album went on to sell over 1 million copies in several months. In February 1999 in UK was released a duet of "Va Pensiero" along Sinead O'Connor. The world tour included for the first time Australia and Asia. In 1999 was invited by Bono to participate at charity NetAid event, where at Giants Stadium in New Jersey performed "Il volo", along Bono U2's One (U2 song), One, and with various artists the single song "New Day (Wyclef Jean song), New Day". Following a lengthy tour to promote ''Bluesugar'', Fornaciari took some time off to work on new music. In the 2001 production of the Sanremo Festival, Zucchero co-wrote the songs "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)" by Elisa (Italian singer), Elisa, and "Di sole e d'azzurro" by Giorgia (singer), Giorgia, which charted as first and second respectively, both winning the festival awards. He reappeared in the summer of 2001 with the European hit single "Baila morena (Zucchero and Maná song), Baila morena" (re-released in 2006), described as "swinging track densely populated with crunching electric guitars, thick piano and organ vamps, and soaring bluesy female vocals over Zucchero's trademark rasp". The album ''Shake (Zucchero album), Shake'', that followed two months later, ended up being another European million selling album. The album is described as "multi-layered blend of acoustic and electric guitars, and the interplay of various vocal ranges and languages set the tone for a stunning album with unfailingly excellent material". On the album blues musician John Lee Hooker appears on the ballad "Ali D'Oro", his last recording before his death in June 2001. In 2002 and 2003 Fornaciari and his band toured throughout Europe and Canada with the sold-out ''Shake'' tour. In December 2002 at the Italian Music Awards received by FIMI the "Special Award — Italian Artist in the World". Zucchero performed the Italian versions of the songs from the DreamWorks animated drama ''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'' (2002). On 29 November 2003, participated in the 46664 charity (AIDS) concert at Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, as well again in 2005, organized by Nelson Mandela. At the concerts, he was invited by Brian May to become the new singer for Queen replacing Freddie Mercury, but he declined, and they continued forming Queen + Paul Rodgers. The spring of 2004 saw the release of the duet album '' Zu & Co.'', top five success in Europe. On the album, which had been sixteen years in the making, Fornaciari duets with international stars. On 6 May 2004 the album was presented during a concert in London's
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, where many of the album's gueststars appeared to perform with Fornaciari. The American 2005 album edition was released in partnership with the Starbucks Hear Music label and Concord Records, and managed to enter the Billboard 200 and top the Billboard charts#Albums, World Albums chart. They included cover "Indaco Dagli Occhi Del Cielo" ("Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" by The Korgis). In July 2005, Fornaciari took part in the Live 8 concerts in both Rome and Paris. In September 2006 was released million selling studio album ''Fly (Zucchero album), Fly'', certified 5× Platinum in Italy. Produced by Don Was, it included the European hit singles "Bacco perbacco" and "Occhi", and features collaborations with artists such as Ivano Fossati and Jovanotti. The album's track "L'amore è nell'aria", borrows the instrumental backing to the B-side "Broken" by UK rock band Feeder (band), Feeder, as was co-written by their lead singer Grant Nicholas. The Fly Tour, kicking off in May in Paris, France, has included dates in most European countries, as well as the U.S. (including a show in Carnegie Hall in New York), and Latin America, with over 100 concerts worldwide. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards got nominated for Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "You Are So Beautiful" along Sam Moore Billy Preston,
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Robert Randolph. In November 2007, Fornaciari released a new compilation album ''All the Best (Zucchero album), All the Best'' with several new tracks, including a popular cover of Black (English band), Black's "Wonderful Life (Black song), Wonderful Life". In the spring of 2008 Fornaciari began his All the Best Tour, which included stops in Europe, America, and Australia where he was joined on stage by Tina Arena in Sydney. November 2008 also saw the release of ''Live in Italy'', a double boxset with recordings of sold-out Arena performance in Verona in 2007, and Milan in 2008, as well as three new tracks, including the single "Una Carezza", published by Edizioni Larus and Universal Music Group. In June 2008 also performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute held in Hyde Park, London. In 2009 at Ischia Film Festival, Ischia Global Film & Music Fest received the Global Music Award.


2009–2014: ''Chocabeck'' and cuban parenthesis

In November 2010, Fornaciari released a studio album entitled ''Chocabeck'', certified 5× Platinum in Italy. The album was produced by Don Was, Brendan O'Brien (music producer), Brendan O'Brien, and Zucchero and includes collaborations with Brian Wilson, Roland Orzabal ("God bless the child"), and
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
("Someone Else's Tears"). The first single in Italy was the song "È Un Peccato Morir", followed by hits "Chocabeck", and "Vedo Nero". In March 2011, after three years, Zucchero started the Chocabeck World Tour, notably with five consecutive concerts at the Verona Arena, Arena in Verona. In the response to the 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes in Emilia-Romagna, Zucchero participated and opened the "Concerto per l'Emilia" (€1-2 million) at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna, and "Italia Loves Emilia" (€4 million) at the airport in
Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
in front of over 150,000 people. He received the premium awards "Premio Pavarotti", and "Giovani di Collisioni". On 20 November 2012, was released album ''La Sesion Cubana'' which was recorded in Cuba with Cuban musicians, including older and newer songs in Latin music (genre), Latin, Music of Cuba, Cuban, Tejano music, Tex-Mex rhythm arrangement. It was anticipated in October by the single "Guantanamera, Guantanamera (Guajira)", and later was extracted single "Love is All Around" which video was filmed in the streets of Havana. In 2013 the album was certified 3× Platinum in Italy. On 8 December the album was presented with a special free concert at the park of Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, in front of nearly 70,000 people. The concert was organized in the collaboration with both Cuban and Italian Ministries, cultural institutions, with advanced technology brought from Europe, resulting with the biggest foreigner concert in Cuba up to date. It was recorded and filmed, being released as live album and DVD, ''Una Rosa Blanca'', in 2013. Zucchero became the honorary member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, recognition received by the Cuban Minister of Culture, Fernando Rojas. In February 2013 performed and received a special "L.A. Italia Excellence Award" at the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, Grammy Museum. The sold-out La Sesión Cubana World Tour started on 5 April in Tahiti, French Polynesia, with an audience of 10,000 people. It included three consecutive sold-out performances in the Arena of Verona. In June performed at the protest-against poverty concert Agit8 organized by Bono at the Tate Modern in London. In March 2014 started the Americana Tour with over 50 concerts in Canada and the United States. A special concert was held on 23 April at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York, with many notable guests including Sting, Sam Moore, Jovanotti and Elisa. In 2014 he performed at the Night of the Proms concerts in Europe.


2015–present: Back to roots and new experiments

Zucchero and Alejandro Sanz recorded the Italian duet version of Sanz's single "Un Zombie a la Intemperie", and Zucchero performed at his concert in Madrid. For U2's Innocence + Experience Tour, 5 September show in Turin, Zucchero was the special guest and played "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". In October 2015, Fornaciari performed at the concert in Vienna, the Europe's first solidarity concert for refugees, in front of an audience of 120,000. He performed "Love Is All Around", and covered "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" and "Va pensiero", the latter with the children choir. In April 2016 new studio album ''Black Cat (Zucchero album), Black Cat'' was released: it marks a music comeback to soul & blues roots and sound of ''Oro Incenso & Birra''. On CNN it was announced that the album will include a new song ''Streets of Surrender (S.O.S)'' which lyrics written by Bono, dedicated to the victims of November 2015 Paris attacks. It was presented at a series of 11 consecutive concerts at the Arena in Verona in September, and a subsequent world tour. The Arena concerts, held between 16 and 28 September, were his only concerts in Italy in 2016, and they were characterized by a vast and diverse repertoire of old and new songs, and some special guests. After guesting at Sanremo Music Festival 2017, the ''Black Cat Word Tour'' continued during 2017 reaching 137 events in thirteen months, 22 of them at the Arena di Verona. At the end of 2017, in order to celebrate the thirty-five years old career, ''Wanted (The Best Collection)'' was released. In 2018 the Italian bluesman continued touring around Europe. The most important concerts were held in Piazza San Marco and in Hyde Park, London, for the British Summer Time (concerts), British Summer Time Festival. In October he won his first "Premio Tenco", one of the most important Italian music award. In 2019 his fourteenth studio album ''D.O.C.'' was released while a new acoustic version of the album was released in 2021. Being the subsequent world tour postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic just few weeks after being guest at Sanremo Music Festival 2020, a short reduced capacity acoustic tour was held in Italy and some European festivals during summer 2021. At the end of 2021 the first cover album in Zucchero's career was released, called ''Discover'', and followed by the ''Word Wild Tour'' during 2022.


Personal life

Fornaciari currently lives in Pontremoli,
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 ...
. He has two daughters Alice and Irene Fornaciari, Irene (who is also a singer-songwriter) from his first marriage with Angela Figliè, and son Adelmo Blue born 1998 with current partner Francesca Mozer. He enjoys the Italian countryside lifestyle. In 2012 he adopted from a distance two children who live in Kenya. He is an atheist."Zucchero: «Questa vita non mi basta»"
''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'', 6 May 2016.


Discography

;Studio albums * ''
Un po' di Zucchero The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...
'' (1983) * ''Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band'' (1985) * '' Rispetto'' (1986) * '' Blue's'' (1987) * ''
Oro Incenso & Birra ''Oro Incenso & Birra'' (Gold, Frankincense & Beer) is the fifth studio album released by the Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari on 13 June 1989. As with his previous album ''Blue's'', the album is credited to "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari ...
'' (1989) * ''Miserere (album), Miserere'' (1992) * ''Spirito DiVino'' (1995) * ''Bluesugar'' (1998) * ''Shake (Zucchero album), Shake'' (2001) * ''Fly (Zucchero album), Fly'' (2006) * ''Chocabeck'' (2010) * ''La Sesion Cubana'' (2012) * ''Black Cat (Zucchero album), Black Cat'' (2016) * ''D.O.C.'' (2019) * ''Discover'' (2021) ;Compilation albums * ''Zucchero'' (1990) * ''The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits'' (1996) * '' Zu & Co.'' (2004) * ''All the Best (Zucchero album), All the Best'' (2007) * ''Wanted (The Best Collection)'' (2017)


Duets

Zucchero has collaborated wit a great number of Italian as well as international musicians, singers and authors.


Italian artists

* Luigi Albertelli * Dodi Battaglia *
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 ...
*
Fred Bongusto Alfredo Antonio Carlo Buongusto (6 April 1935 – 8 November 2019), known by his stage name Fred Bongusto, was an Italian light music singer, songwriter and composer who was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Career history Bongusto was born ...
* Brunella Borciani * Alberto Borsari * Andrea Braido * Gabriele Cancogni * Beppe Caruso * Rossana Casale * Maurizio Castelli * Mimmo Cavallo * Alessandro Chiesa * Adelio Cogliati * Aida Cooper * Andrea Cozzali * Joe Damiani * Elio D'Anna *
Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referring to the elegance of his lyrics. He is of ...
* Vincenzo Draghi *Elisa (Italian singer), Elisa * Fiordaliso (cantante), Fiordaliso * Ivano Fossati * Irene Fornaciari * Paolo Gianolio * Giorgia (cantante 1971), Giorgia * Loretta Goggi * Massimo Greco * Sara Grimaldi * Francesco Guccini * Jovanotti * Luciano Ligabue * Luciano Luisi * Umbi Maggi * Fiorella Mannoia * Renè Mantegna * Ricky Mantoan * Massimo Marcolini * Mia Martini * Eddy Mattei * Lele Melotti * Mietta * Donatella Milani * Mina (cantante), Mina * Mogol (lyricist), Mogol *
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
* Nomadi * Pasquale Panella *
Gino Paoli Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934 in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: " Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa ...
* Claudio Pascoli *
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
* Michele Pecora * Cheope (paroliere), Alfredo Rapetti * Leonardo Rosi * Davide Rossi (produttore), Davide Rossi * Enrico Ruggeri * Corrado Rustici * Alberto Salerno * Stefano Sani * Mario Tessuto * Michele Torpedine * Maurizio Vandelli (cantante), Maurizio Vandelli * Mino Vergnaghi * Giuseppe Vessicchio * Betty Vittori * Savage (cantante), Roberto Zanetti * Iva Zanicchi * Fio Zanotti


International artists

* 2Cellos * Alannah Myles * Alejandro Sanz * Anggun * Ardent Gospel Choir * Axelle Red * B.B. King * Bebe (singer), Bebe * Berliner Philharmoniker * Billy Preston * The Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers *
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
* Brendan O'Brien (singer), Brendan O'Brien * Brian Auger * Brian May * Brian Wilson * Bryan Adams * Buddy Guy * Cheb Mami * *
Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...
*
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
*
David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...
*
Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...
* Djavan * D.J. Fontana *
Dolores O'Riordan Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist for the alternative rock band the Cranberries. One of the most recogniza ...
* Don Was * Eddie Floyd * Elvis Costello * Eric Bazilian *
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
* Eric Daniel * Faudel * Fher Olvera * Frank Musker * Haylie Ecker * Gérard Depardieu * Howard Gospel Choir * Iggy Pop * Ilse DeLange * Jamie Thompson, James Thompson *
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
* Jeffrey Foskett * Jim Belushi * Jim Diamond (singer), Jim Diamond * Jenny Bae *
Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
* Johnny Hallyday * John Lee Hooker * Jon Hopkins * Jools Holland * Keith Reid * Lara Fabian * Léo Ferré * Lester Snell * Lisa Hunt * Luka Šulić * Macy Gray * Maná * Mark Knopfler * Marco Borsato * Mike Chapman *
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
* Mousse T. * Nabil Salameh, Nabil * New Orleans Gospel Choir * Nicky Chinn * Noa (Japanese singer), Noa * *
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
* Patrick Bruel * Patrick Fiori *
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 ...
*
Peter Maffay Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Early life Born in Braşov (german: link=no, Kronstadt), Romania, the son of a German (Transylvanian Saxon), h ...
* Pino Palladino * Polo Jones * Procol Harum *
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
*
Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...
*
Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
*
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 ...
* Richard Sanderson * Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Robert Randolph * Ronan Keating * Ronald Jones (musician), Ronnie Jones * Rosana Arbelo, Rosana * Sam Moore * Scorpions (band), Scorpions * Scotty Moore * Sergio Dalma * Sérgio Mendes * Sharon Corr * Sheryl Crow * Sinéad O'Connor * Solomon Burke * Stephan Eicher * Steve Winwood *
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...
*
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
* Stjepan Hauser * Texas (band), Texas * Tina Arena * Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones * Tomoyasu Hotei *
Toni Childs Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957) is an American-Australian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her songs "Don't Walk Away" (a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in the United States in 1988), "I've Got to Go Now", a Top 5 hit ...
* Tyrone Moss * Vanessa Carlton * Vivaldi Orchestra Moscow * Wynonna Judd * Youssou N'Dour * Yuri Kasparyan


See also

* Adelmo e i suoi Sorapis * Italian estimated best-selling music artists


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fornaciari, Zucchero 1955 births Living people English-language singers from Italy Italian atheists Italian male singer-songwriters Italian singer-songwriters Italian pop musicians Italian pop singers Italian rock musicians Italian rock singers People from Reggio Emilia Spanish-language singers of Italy Universal Music Latino artists Wrasse Records artists