Francesco Puccioni (26 April 1961 – 30 January 2009), better known under his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Mike Francis, was an Italian singer and composer, born in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, Italy. Internationally, he was best known for his 1984 hit, "Survivor", and his collaborations with American singer
Amii Stewart
Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song " Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the ...
.
Career
Puccioni formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l'Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. Under the stage name Mike Francis, he had his first hit with "Survivor" in 1984 and went on to record ten studio albums. Among his best known works is the song "
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
", a duet with
Amii Stewart
Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song " Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the ...
released in 1984 which became a big hit in the
UK and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Beginning in 2000, assisted by his brother Mario (Mari-One) and by the Maltese multi-instrumentalist
Aidan Zammit
Aidan Zammit is a musician from Sliema, Malta. He has lived in Italy since 1985.
Biography
He has worked as a composer, musician and singer with several artists, including Mike Francis, Niccolò Fabi, Andrea Bocelli, Nicola Piovani, Vincen ...
, he founded the group Mystic Diversions. The group's songs were featured on many high-profile
chill-out
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
and
lounge
Lounge may refer to:
Architecture
* Lounge, the living room of a dwelling
* Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby
* Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar
* Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...
compilations. In addition to new, original song material, it also performed covers of 1970s and 1980s songs like "
Float On" (by
The Floaters
The Floaters were an American R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976. The group are best known for their 1977 song " Float On", which reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ...
), and "A Warm Summer Night" (by
Chic
Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick.
Etymology
'' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...
). Together with the three, additional musicians for live sets consisted of Agostino Marangolo (drums), Fabio Pignatelli (bass), Marco Rinalduzzi (guitars), Giovanni Imparato (percussion and vocals), as well as Wendy Lewis and Laura Serra (backing vocals).
His 2007 album ''Inspired'' followed the cover of
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
As a teenager in t ...
's "
Someone Like You", together with
Blank & Jones
Blank & Jones are a German electronic music duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank (born June 15, 1971), known as Piet Blank; René Runge (born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold (N*D*K) (born ...
for the compilation album ''Café del Mar Vol. 12''. His website states him as saying: "From that moment many other songs were born
in a simple and spontaneous way, simply "inspired"..."
Death
Puccioni died aged 47 on 30 January 2009 of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
Obituary
''Corriere'' (Italian). His last compilation album ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' was released just days before his death.
Discography
Albums
*1984 – ''Let's Not Talk About It''
*1985 – ''Features''
*1986 – ''Mike Francis''
*1987 – ''Songs'' (compilation)
*1988 – ''Flashes of Life''
*1989 – ''Features of Love'' (reprint ''Features'' - 1985)
*1989 – ''Dreams of a Lifetime'' (reprint ''Mike Francis'' - 1986)
*1990 – ''Live at Manila'' (live)
*1991 – ''Mike Francis in Italiano''
*1992 – ''Classics'' (compilation)
*1994 – ''Francesco Innamorato''
*1995 – ''The Very Best – Live'' (live compilation)
*1995 – ''A Different Air''
*1995 – ''A Different Air'' (Philippines edition)
*1998 – ''Misteria''
*1998 – ''The Best Of'' (compilation)
*1999 – ''All Rooms with a View''
*1999 – ''I Grandi Successi'' (compilation)
*2000 – ''I Grandi Successi Originali – "Flashback"'' (compilation)
*2000 – ''Crossing the Liquid Mirror'' (as Mystic Diversions)
*2002 – ''Beneath Another Sky'' (as Mystic Diversions)
*2003 – ''Colours'' (as Mystic Diversions)
*2006 – ''From the Distance'' (as Mystic Diversions)
*2007 – ''Wave a Little Light'' (as Mystic Diversions)
*2007 – ''Inspired''
*2008 – ''Let's Not Talk About It'' (Japan reprint)
*2008 – ''Flashes of Life'' (Japan reprint)
*2009 – ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' (compilation)
*2011 - ''Anthology'' (compilation)
*2011 - ''The Best of...'' (compilation)
Singles
*1982 – "Love Has Found You"
*1983 – "Survivor"
*1984 – "Let Me In" (featuring Rossana Casale
Rossana Casale (born July 21, 1959) is an Italian singer.
Biography
Casale was born in New York City to an Italian-American father, photographer Giac Casale, and an Italian mother. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Venice, Italy, then ...
)
*1984 – "Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
" (with Amii Stewart
Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song " Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the ...
)
*1985 – "Features of Love"
*1985 – "Together
''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...
" (with Amii Stewart)
*1986 – "Iron It Out"/"You Can't Get Out of My Heart"
*1987 – "Suddenly Back to Me"
*1988 – "Still I'm Runnin' Back to You"
*1989 – "Survivor '89"
*1991 – "Livin' It Up"
*1991 – "Se Tu Provi"
*1992 – "I Want You"
*1994 – "Bellissimi Occhi Chiusi"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Mike
1961 births
2009 deaths
Deaths from lung cancer in Lazio
Chill-out musicians
Italian male composers
Italian Italo disco musicians
Musicians from Florence
English-language singers from Italy
20th-century Italian male singers