Beniamino "Mino" Reitano (December 7, 1944 – January 27, 2009) was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor. Reitano was born in

Fiumara Fiumara ( Reggino: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Fiumara borders the following municip ...

, a small village in Calabria. His father, an employee at the local railway station, was very passionate about music, and encouraged all his sons to learn to play an instrument. After a spell in the local brass band, Reitano moved to Reggio Calabria, where he studied at the Francesco Cilea Conservatory for eight years, learning piano, trumpet, and violin. In the late 1950s, Reitano moved with his brothers to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, where they formed a rock'n'roll band, Benjamin & His Brothers. They often played at the

Star-Club The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 3 ...

, sharing the bill with

Rory Storm Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...

Tony Sheridan Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (21 May 1940 – 16 February 2013), known professionally as Tony Sheridan, was an English rock and roll guitarist who spent much of his adult life in Germany. He was best known as an early collaborator of th ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. After a couple of years, Reitano returned to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he recorded his first single, ''Twist Time''. After a successful performance at the Castrocaro Music Festival, he was offered a contract with the Italian label

Dischi Ricordi Dischi Ricordi is an Italian record company founded on by and Guido Crepax, active from 1958 to 1994. History Dischi Ricordi had its seat in Milan (Via Giovanni Berchet, 2). In 1994, the company was bought by BMG, who acquired the catalog ...

, and in 1967 he participated for the first time at the

Sanremo Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian culture, Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longes ...

. His first commercial hit was ''Avevo un cuore (che ti amava tanto)'' (1968). Reitano was an actor and starred in such films as '' Povero Cristo'', '' I'm Crazy About Iris Blond'' and '' Long Lasting Days''. Reitano died in

Agrate Brianza Agrate Brianza ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan. Notable people * Clement Vismara (1897–1988), missionary * Valentino Giambell ...

, aged 64, of

intestinal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

, after a long period of illness.Italian Music: Mino Reitano dies at 64

Discography

*1969 - ''Mino canta Reitano'' (Ariston Records, AR 10031) *1971 - ''L'uomo e la valigia'' (Durium, ms AI 77266) *1972 - ''Ti amo tanto tanto'' (Durium, ms AI 77296) *1973 - ''Partito per amore'' (Durium, ms AI 77322) *1974 - ''Tutto Mino'' (Durium, ms AI 77338) *1975 - ''Dedicato a Frank'' (Durium, ms AI 77361) *1976 - ''Omaggio alla mia terra'' (Durium, ms AI 77376) *1976 - ''I miei successi'' (Ariston Records) *1976 - ''Sogno d'amore'' (Durium, ms AI 77388) *1980 - ''OK Mister'' (Mister, MRL 1001) *1980 - ''Le più belle canzoni per bambini'' (Mister, SM 702) *1981 - ''Omaggio a Napoli'' (Mister, MRL 1002) *1985 - ''Isole d'amore'' (Five Record, FM 13542) *1986 - ''I cantautori'' (Five Record, FM 13564) *1987 - ''Questo uomo ti ama'' (Five Record) *1990 - ''Vorrei'' (Fonit Cetra) *1991 - ''Mino Reitano Story'' (Air Plane APCD 2002) *1992 - ''Ma ti sei chiesto mai'' (Fonit Cetra, MFLP 020) *1994 - ''Canne al vento'' (BMG) *1996 - ''Il meglio - Dal vivo'' (DV More Record, DV 2027) (Live) *1999 - ''Musica tua - i Grandi Successi'' (Anthology) *2000 - ''Flashback - i Grandi successi originali'' (Anthology) *2002 - ''La mia canzone... le mie canzoni'' (Cassiopea Music, CAS 507630 2) *2004 - ''Italia - Dal vivo'' (DV More Record DV 6744) (Live)

References

External links

* * 1944 births 2009 deaths People from the Province of Reggio Calabria Deaths from cancer in Lombardy Deaths from colorectal cancer 20th-century Italian male singers People of Calabrian descent Italian actors 20th-century actors {{Italy-singer-stub