Michele Francesco Puccioni (April 26, 1961 – January 30, 2009), better known under his stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Mike Francis, was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 singer and composer, born in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

. He was best known for his 1982 hit, "Survivor".

History

Francis formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l'Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. He had his first hit with "Survivor" in 1982 and went on to record ten studio albums.

Among his best known works is also the song "Friends" from 1985, a duo with Amii Stewart

Amii Stewart

Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...

.

Since 2000, assisted by his brother Mario (Mari-One) and by the Maltese multi-instrumentalist Aidan Zammit

Aidan Zammit

-Biography:He has worked as a composer, musician and singer with several artists, including Mike Francis , Niccolò Fabi, Andrea Bocelli, Nicola Piovani, Vincenzo Cerami, Bungaro, Lorenzo Feliciati, Simone Cristicchi, Antonello Venditti, Marco Mengoni, Angelo Branduardi and Vocintransito...

, he has given life to the group Mystic Diversions.

Songs by Mystic Diversions featured on many high-profile chill-out

Chill out music

Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...

 or lounge

Lounge music

Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...

 compilations. In addition to new, original song material, the group by Francesco Puccioni (Mike Francis) also did covers of famous 70s and 80s songs like "Float On

Float On (The Floaters song)

"Float On" is a 1977 hit song by the R&B/soul group The Floaters.The spoken verses combine two popular memes from the time, star signs and video and phone dating, in lines like Aquarius and my name is Ralph / Now I like a woman who loves her freedom...

" (by The Floaters

The Floaters

The Floaters were an African American, R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976.-Career:...

), and "A Warm Summer Night" (by Chic

Chic (band)

Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...

).

MYSTIC DIVERSIONS: Francesko (i.e. Francesco Puccioni), Mari-One (Mari-One Puccioni), Aidan Zammit; Live set additional musicians: Drums: Agostino Marangolo, Bass: Fabio Pignatelli, Guitars: Marco Rinalduzzi, Percussion and vocals: Giovanni Imparato, Vocals: Wendy Lewis & Laura Serra.

His album Inspired followed the cover of Van Morrison

Van Morrison

Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

's "Someone Like You

Someone Like You (Van Morrison song)

"Someone Like You" is a popular, romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1987 album, Poetic Champions Compose...

", realized together with Blank & Jones

Blank & Jones

Blank & Jones is a Cologne, Germany based Trance duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank , known as Piet Blank; René Runge , better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold...

 for "Café del Mar 12". His website states: "From that moment many other songs were born, in a simple and spontaneous way, simply "inspired" ..."

Francis died aged 47 on January 30, 2009 of lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. His last compilation album The Very Best Of Mike Francis (All Was Missing) was released just days before his death.

Albums

• 1984 - Let's Not Talk About It
• 1985 - Features Of Love
• 1986 - Mike Francis
• 1987 - Songs (compilation)
• 1988 - Flashes Of Life
• 1989 - Dreams Of A Lifetime
• 1990 - Live In Manila (live)
• 1991 - Mike Francis In Italiano
• 1992 - Classics (compilation)
• 1994 - Francesco Innamorato
• 1995 - The Very Best - Live (live compilation)
• 1995 - A Different Air
• 1998 - Misteria
• 1998 - The Best Of (compilation)
• 1999 - All Rooms With A View
• 1999 - I Grandi Successi (compilation)
• 2000 - I Grandi Successi Originali - "Flashback" (compilation)
• 2000 - Crossing The Liquid Mirror (as Mystic Diversions)
• 2002 - Beneath Another Sky (as Mystic Diversions)
• 2003 - Colours (as Mystic Diversions)
• 2006 - From The Distance (as Mystic Diversions)
• 2007 - Wave A Little Light (as Mystic Diversions)
• 2007 - Inspired
• 2009 - The Very Best Of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)

Singles

• 1982 - Love Has Found You
• 1983 - Survivor
• 1984 - Let Me In
• 1985 - Features Of Love
• 1985 - Together
• 1986 - Iron It Out / You Can't Get Out Of My Heart
• 1987 - Suddenly Back To Me
• 1988 - Still I'm Runnin' Back To You
• 1989 - Survivor '89
• 1991 - Livin' It Up
• 1991 - Se Tu Provi
• 1992 - I Want You
• 1994 - Bellissimi Occhi Chiusi