Domenico Modugno
| Domenico Modugno | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born |
9 January 1928 Polignano a Mare, Apulia, Italy |
| Died | 6 August 1994 (aged 66) Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy |
| Genres | Pop, Folk, Neapolitan song |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actor, film director, film producer, politician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 1953–1993 |
| Labels | RCA, Fonit Cetra, Curci, Carosello, Panarecord, Decca, United Artists, Jubilee |
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The Honourable Domenico Modugno |
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|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
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In office 2 July 1987 – 18 April 1990 |
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| Constituency | Turin |
| Member of the Senate of the Republic | |
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In office 18 April 1990 – 22 April 1992 |
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| Constituency | Rome IV |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Radical Party |
| Spouse(s) | Franca Gandolfi (1955–1994; his death) |
| Children | Marcello Modugno Marco Modugno Massimo Modugno (from his wife) Fabio Camilli (from Maurizia Calì) |
| Profession | artist, singer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Domenico Modugno (Italian pronunciation: [doˈmeːniko moˈduɲɲo]; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, guitarist, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu". He is considered the first Italian cantautore.
The youngest of four children, Modugno was born at Polignano a Mare, in the province of Bari (Apulia), on 9 January 1928. His father, Vito Cosimo Modugno, was a municipal police commander, while his mother, Pasqua Lorusso, was a housewife.
At the age of 9, his family moved to San Pietro Vernotico, in the Province of Brindisi, where his father was transferred for a new job position. Here Domenico attended primary school and learned San Pietro Vernotico's dialect, which belongs to the linguistic area of Lecce's dialect, similar to Sicilian. He attended secondary school in Lecce.
From a young age he wanted to become an actor and in 1951, after his military service, he enrolled in an acting school.
While still studying, he had a role in a cinematographic version of Filumena Marturano by Eduardo De Filippo as well as some other films. In 1957, his song "Lazzarella," sung by Aurelio Fierro, came second in the Festival della Canzone Napoletana, bringing him his first taste of popularity. In 1958, Modugno took part in Antonio Aniante's comedy La Rosa di Zolfo at the Festival della Prosa in Venice. Also in 1958, he discovered the Italian comedy duo of Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, became their manager and got them into a long running film career. The turning point of his career came in that year, when he also participated in the Sanremo Music Festival, presenting, together with Johnny Dorelli, the song "Nel blu dipinto di blu." Co-authored by Modugno and Franco Migliacci, the song won the contest and became an enormous success worldwide, including the United States. It received two Grammy Awards with sales above 22 million copies, and represented Italy in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest, where it came in third.
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