Umberto Tozzi
| Umberto Tozzi | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Umberto Antonio Tozzi |
| Born | 4 March 1952 |
| Origin | Turin, Italy |
| Genres | Pop, Rock, Italo disco |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Associated acts | Off Sound, Laura Branigan |
| Website | Official Umberto Tozzi website |
Umberto Antonio Tozzi (pronounced [umˈbɛrto anˈtɔːnjo ˈtɔttsi]) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. His biggest international hits are: "Claridad", "Gloria" and "Ti Amo".
Tozzi was born on 4 March 1952 in Turin, Italy. In 1968, at the age of 16, Umberto Tozzi joined 'Off Sound', one of the many groups that performed in small venues around Turin. In Milan, he met Adriano Pappalardo, with whom he formed a 13-piece band and began a large-scale Italian tour.
In 1974 Tozzi had his first success as a songwriter, with the song "Un corpo, un'anima" ("One Body, One Soul"), co-written with Damiano Dattoli and performed by Wess and Dori Ghezzi. It appeared on Canzonissima, an Italian music programme running from 1956 to 1974.
In 1976, he released his first album, Donna Amante mia ("My loving woman"), which contained the single "Io camminerò" ("I Will Walk"), which was sung with great success by Fausto Leali. In 1977, "Ti amo", one of Tozzi's most famous songs, was released. It stayed at number one on the Italian song charts for seven months, and went on to become an international success throughout continental Europe. It also achieved decent success in the Americas and Australia, primarily in nightclubs. The single was awarded a gold record award in Australia, despite the fact that it only made number 25 on the charts there in late 1979. In 1978 he released Tu, another hit in Italy, and held an Australian tour, which was organized by the Italo-Australian promoter Duane Zigliotto and concluded at the Sydney's Opera House with two full house concerts.
The following year Tozzi recorded one of his most famous songs, "Gloria", which became a major hit in Italy in 1979 and 1980. Jonathan King wrote English lyrics for the song, which became popular in the UK as well in 1979, and was sung and recorded by the English singer Elkie Brooks in 1980. A cover version of the song by the American singer Laura Branigan in 1982 caused the song to grow in popularity in the US as well. Branigan worked with the arranger and keyboardist of Tozzi's own version, Greg Mathieson, to give the song what she called "an American kick." The song reached the top of the charts, reached gold and platinum status in several countries, and stayed on the US pop charts for 36 weeks.
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