on July 27, 1939) is 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...

 popular music

Italian popular music

The expression Italian Popular Music refers to the musical output which is not usually considered Academic or Classical Music but rather have its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms of the current geographical location of the Italian...

 singer, songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 and pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

. His international hits are: "St. Tropez Twist", "Daniela", "Torna piccina", "Roberta", "Melancolía", "Freva", "L'ultimo romantico", "Un grande amore e niente piú", "Nun è peccato" and "Champagne".

Biography

Peppino began singing and playing the piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 at age 4, entertaining the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 troops stationed on the island of Capri

Capri

Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...

 with a repertoire of American standards

Jazz standard

Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...

. After 6 years of classical studies and playing at nightclubs around Capri, Peppino and his group The Rockers released their first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, with the songs Malattia (Illness) and Nun è Peccato (It's not a sin), sung in Napoletano in 1958.

The single was an instant hit

Hit record

A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...

, and Peppino spent most of the following year touring. A string of hit singles soon followed, usually alternating between Italian versions of American rock'n'roll and twist

Twist (dance)

The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...

 songs (with some verses sung in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

), and originals in Italian and Napoletano, and Peppino became one of the top acts in the country.

After performing as the opening act for The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 in their 1965 tour of Italy, Peppino and his group attempted, with moderate success, to break out of the Italian market. Their work was very well-received particularly in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, thanks to the large Italian immigrant community in the country.

The 70s saw Peppino veer toward a more adult contemporary style of music, with a new band, the New Rockers. He won the prestigious Festival della canzone italiana

Festival della canzone italiana

The Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo is a popular Italian song contest, held annually in the city of Sanremo, in Italy, and consisting of a competition amongst previously unreleased songs...

 (Festival of the Italian song) in 1973, with the song Un grande amore e niente più (A great love and nothing more).

The same year, he released the song that would accompany him through the rest of his career: Champagne was a big hit in Italy, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

He won the Festival della canzone italiana (San Remo Festival) again in 1976, with the song Non lo faccio più (I won't do it anymore). In 1991, he represented Italy at the Eurovision song contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

, coming in 7th place with the song Comme È Ddoce 'O Mare

Comme È Ddoce 'O Mare

"Comme è ddoce 'o mare" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in the minority Neapolitan language by Peppino di Capri. This was the first occasion on which Italy had not performed at least partly in Italian...

(How sweet is the sea), sung in Napoletano.

As of 2006, Peppino di Capri is the performer with the most appearances (15) at the Festival della canzone italiana, his last appearance being in 2005, singing La Panchina (The little park bench).

San Remo Festival

Peppino di Capri won two times the San Remo Festival (in 1973 and 1976) and participated 15 times:

• 1967 Dedicato all'amore
• 1971 L'ultimo romantico
• 1973 Un grande amore e niente più (Winner)
• 1976 Non lo faccio più (Winner)
• 1980 Tu cioè...
• 1985 E mo’ e mo’
• 1987 Il sognatore
• 1988 Nun chiagnere
• 1989 Il mio pianoforte
• 1990 Evviva Maria
• 1992 Favola blues
• 1993 La voce delle stelle
• 1995 Ma che ne sai (Se non hai fatto il pianobar)
• 2001 Pioverà (Habibi ené)
• 2005 La panchina

Literary Reference

One scene of Orhan Pamuk

Orhan Pamuk

Ferit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....

's novel "Snow

Snow (novel)

Snow is a novel by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. It was published in Turkish in 2002 and in English in 2004. The story encapsulates many of the political and cultural tensions of modern Turkey and successfully combines humor, social commentary, mysticism, and a deep sympathy with its characters.Kar...

", taking place at the Turkish provincial town of Kars

Kars

Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...

, includes the following:

"Through the open door of a shop which sold women's stockings, bolts of cotton, coloured pencils,batteries and cassettes, he heard once again the strains of Peppino di Capri's "Roberta". He recalled hearing it on the radio when he was a child and his uncle had taken him out for a drive to the Bosphorus" ("Snow", Ch. 12).

External links

• Official website of Peppino di Capri