Rino Gaetano
| Rino Gaetano | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Salvatore Antonio Gaetano |
| Also known as | Rino Gaetano |
| Born |
29 October 1950 Crotone, Italy |
| Died | 2 June 1981 (aged 30) Rome, Italy |
| Genres | Rock, reggae, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1973–1981 |
| Labels | It, RCA Italiana |
| Associated acts | Francesco De Gregori, Antonello Venditti, Anna Oxa, Riccardo Cocciante |
| Website | http://www.rinogaetano.it/ |
Salvatore Antonio "Rino" Gaetano (29 October 1950 – 2 June 1981) was an Italian musician and singer-songwriter. He is famous for his satirical songs and oblique yet incisive political commentary. He is remembered for his rough voice, the biting irony of his songs and social protest hidden behind seemingly light lyrics. While he avoided taking any sides politically and refused to be labelled, his songs are full of political commentary. He died in a car accident at the age of thirty. His songs, however, are still widely sung and played, and he is still a popular and influential figure.
Salvatore Antonio Gaetano was born in Crotone, in the southern Italian region of Calabria. His family called him "Salvatorino", an affectionate nickname which translated into English would be 'Little Salvatore'. His sister Anna however preferred the name 'Rino' and it stuck.
In March 1960, at the age of nine, his family moved to Rome, where he would spend the rest of his life. In 1961, he was sent to study at the seminary Piccola Opera del Sacro Cuore of Narni, in the province of Terni, where under the guidance of his teacher Renato Simeoni, he began to show his flair for writing poetry. By 1967 he had finished school and living back in Rome, he created a quartet with a group of friends called Krounks, who would mainly play cover songs. They were inspired by Italian artists such as Enzo Jannacci, Fabrizio De André, Adriano Celentano, I Gufi, Gian Pieretti and Ricky Gianco as well as international musicians such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles.
In 1969, Rino approached Folkstudio, a well-known club in Rome for promoting young artists. Rino's style proved to be very different from that of the other musicians. His strong use of irony caused concerns for the club managers, as Rino recounted:
"When I sang at Folkstudio, it was the centre of discussions....in fact they did not want me to do many of my pieces because they thought I wanted to make fun of everyone."
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