Tino Rossi
| Tino Rossi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Constantin Rossi |
| Born | 29 April 1907 |
| Origin | Ajaccio, Corsica, France |
| Died | 26 September 1983 (age 76) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Genres | Cabaret, French pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1932–1982 |
| Labels | Columbia |
Constantin "Tino" Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor.
Rossi, born in Ajaccio, Corsica, was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret-style. Later, he appeared in various movies. During his career he recorded hundreds of songs and he appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1954 production, Si Versailles m'était conté... directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had especially women swooning and his art-songs by Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875–1947), and other composers, sold out theaters wherever he performed.
He remains the only French singer to have sold more than 700 million records. His disc "Petit Papa Noël" alone sold 80 million copies worldwide.
As a young man, Rossi played guitar and sang in many places of his hometown of Ajaccio, but later he went to perform in Marseille and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of the day such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon.
Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent Scotto (1876–1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many of Rossi's songs. Prior to World War II, Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French speaking world, and expanded his audience 1938 to North America and Canada during a first visit there. Rossi began his film career with a role in Les Nuits Moscovites (1934); his first real success came with Marinella (1936).
...
Wikipedia