Biography

Sorrenti was born in Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

, but his mother was Welsh, and he spent much of his childhood in Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

Sorrenti's career began in the early 1970s. He released his first album, Aria in 1972, followed by Come un vecchio incensiere all'alba di un villaggio deserto (1973), both heavily consisting of progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 and experimental

Experimental rock

Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....

 tracks.

In 1976, Alan Sorrenti shifted genre and released tracks more reminiscent of the dance

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 genre. In late 1979 he scored a major European hit with the single "Tu Sei L'Unica Donna Per Me", since then covered in a number of different languages. Alan Sorrenti released his last album in 1992.

Alan represented Italy in the 1980 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...

 with the song "Non so che darei

Non So Che Darei

"Non so che darei" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in Italian by Alan Sorrenti.The song deals with Sorrenti's feelings for his lover...

". He finished sixth in the contest but the track became one of that year's bestselling entries in Continental Europe and Scandinavia after the winner Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan (singer)

Johnny Logan , is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer. He is regarded as "Mister Eurovision", having participated in the Eurovision Song Contest many times since the 1970s, and, since 1992, has been the most successful artist in Eurovision history.Logan has won the international contest on...

's "What's Another Year".

In 2006, Sorrenti participated in the festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

 O' Scià on the Lampedusa

Lampedusa

Lampedusa is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The comune of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione. It is the southernmost part of Italy. Tunisia, which is about ...

 island.

Alan's younger sister Jenny Sorrenti is also a recording artist and has released two albums with her progressive folk/rock band Saint Just

Saint Just (band)

Saint Just was an Italian progressive rock band that released two albums between 1973-1974.Jenny Sorrenti was their vocalist.-Discography:Albums*Saint Just *La Casa del Lago...

, as well as several solo albums.