Lucio Battisti
| Lucio Battisti | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 5 March 1943 |
| Origin | Poggio Bustone, Italy |
| Died | 9 September 1998 (aged 55) Milan |
| Genres |
Pop music Soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer, arranger and guitarist |
| Instruments | voice, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1966–1994 |
| Labels | Dischi Ricordi, Numero Uno, CBS, Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Mina, Mogol |
Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an Italian singer, songwriter and composer. He is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history.
Battisti started his career in 1966 and from 1969 to 1994 he released 18 albums in his home country. A significant part of his production was translated into Spanish (various albums), English (one album), French (two albums) and German (one album). He was renowned to be an extremely reserved artist: during his successful career he performed only a small number of live concerts, and in the early 1980s he announced he would limit himself to his studio albums, completely disappearing from the Italian public scene.
Battisti was born in Poggio Bustone, a town in the province of Rieti (northern Lazio), and moved with his family to Rome in 1950. A self-taught guitarist, Battisti made his debut as musician in the 1960s, performing in local bands in Rome, Naples and later in Milan where he joined I Campioni (The Champions), the support band of then famous singer Tony Dallara. He also travelled abroad as a working musician, in Germany and the UK, where he absorbed the music of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, blues and soul – among others – which he later introduced into Italian Pop music.
In Milan he found the support of the French talent scout, Christine Leroux, who worked for the Ricordi music label. Under Leroux's wing Battisti penned three sizeable hits in 1966 for other artists ("Per una lira" for Ribelli, "Dolce di giorno" for Dik Dik, and "Uno in più" for Riki Maiocchi). Leroux also introduced Battisti to lyricist Giulio Rapetti, better known as Mogol: though not impressed at first by Battisti's music, Mogol later declared to have started the collaboration after recognizing Battisti's humble, though determined, desire to improve his work. Mogol also pushed Ricordi to allow Battisti to sing his own songs: Battisti's voice became the focal point of his strength and originality. As a singer, he made his debut with the song "Per una lira" in 1966: despite the song's poor success (only 520 copies sold throughout Italy!), it allowed him to begin building his career as a singer.
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