Domenico Modugno 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, 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...

, actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, and later in life, a member of the 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...

 Parliament

Parliament

A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...

. He is known for his 1958 international 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...

 song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)

Volare (song)

"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....

". He is considered the first Italian cantautore

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

.

Biography

Modugno was born in Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea.The area was settled since prehistoric times, as shown by archaeological excavations in the locality of Santa Barbara. It is believed that is the site of the ancient Greek city of...

, province of Bari

Province of Bari

The Province of Bari is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bari.It has an area of 5,138 km², and a total population of 1,594,109 . There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Bari...

 (Puglia).

From a young age he wanted to become an actor and in 1951, after his military service, he enrolled in an acting school. While still studying he had a role in a cinematographic version of Filumena Marturano by Eduardo De Filippo

Eduardo De Filippo

Eduardo De Filippo was an Italian actor, playwright, screenwriter, author and poet, best known for his Neapolitan works Filumena Marturano and Napoli Milionaria.-Biography:...

 as well as some other films.

In 1935 his father moved to San Pietro Vernotico

San Pietro Vernotico

San Pietro Vernotico is a town and comune in the province of Brindisi in Puglia, on the south-east Italy coast. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes...

, in the Province of Brindisi

Province of Brindisi

The Province of Brindisi is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. Surrounded by vineyards and artichoke fields, Brindisi is a major sailing port for the southern part of Italy....

 (where his parents are buried). Here Domenico attended primary school and learned San Piertro Vernotico's dialect, which belongs to the linguistic area of Lecce

Lecce

Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...

's dialect, which is similar to Sicilian. He attended secondary school in Lecce.

In 1957 his song "Lazzarella," sung by Aurelio Fierro

Aurelio Fierro

Aurelio Fierro was a successful Italian actor and singer who specialized in songs in the Neapolitan dialect.-Career:...

, came second in the Festival della Canzone Napoletana

Canzone Napoletana

Canzone Napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well-represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the lover's...

, bringing him his first taste of popularity.

In 1958 Modugno took part in Antonio Aniante's comedy La Rosa di Zolfo at the Festival della Prosa in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. Also in 1958 he discovered the Italian comedy duo of Franco Franchi

Franco Franchi

Franco Franchi was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s...

 and Ciccio Ingrassia

Ciccio Ingrassia

Ciccio Ingrassia was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s. He starred in many comedies, mainly as a duo with comedian Franco Franchi...

, became their manager and got them into a long running film career. The turning point of his career came in that year, when he also participated in the Sanremo Music Festival, presenting, together with Johnny Dorelli

Johnny Dorelli

Johnny Dorelli is an Italian actor, singer and showman.Born as Giorgio Guidi in Meda, he debuted as singer in the late 1950s for CGD label. In 1958 he won the Sanremo Festival in duo with Domenico Modugno, with the songs "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and "Piove "...

, the song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu

Volare (song)

"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....

." Co-authored by Modugno and Franco Migliacci

Franco Migliacci

Franco Migliacci is a lyricist, producer, and actor. He is also known as Francesco Migliacci.- Biography :...

, the song won the contest and became an enormous success worldwide, including the United States

United States

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

. It received two Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

s with sales above 22 million copies, and represented Italy in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1958

The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third Eurovision Song Contest. The convention that the winning country from a year hosted the following year's contest was introduced in this year. France's win was their first. It was the last time to date that the United Kingdom did not enter the contest...

, where it came in third.

In 1959, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival for the second time in a row, with "Piove" (also known as "Ciao, ciao bambina"), and received second place in 1960 with "Libero." This was a successful period of time for Modugno who again represented Italy

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...

 in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1959

Eurovision Song Contest 1959

The Eurovision Song Contest 1959 was the fourth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Cannes, following the French victory the previous year....

. Later his hit song "Io" was sung by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

 in English with the title "Ask Me."

In 1962, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival a third time with "Addio..., addio...." Four years later, he again represented Italy at Eurovision

Eurovision Song Contest 1966

The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition and was held on 5 March 1966 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. This was possibly created due to the 1965 Swedish entry, "Absent...

 with "Dio, come ti amo

Dio, Come Ti Amo

"Dio, come ti amo" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, performed in Italian by Domenico Modugno.The song is a ballad, in which Modugno tells his lover how he feels about her...

." Jack Jones

Jack Jones (singer)

John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...

 recorded it in English for his 1967 album, Our Song, under the title, "Oh How Much I Love You".

Modugno was an actor in 44 movies (such as Appuntamento a Ischia

Appuntamento a Ischia

Appuntamento a Ischia is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Domenico Modugno.-Cast:* Domenico Modugno - Mimmo* Antonella Lualdi - Mirella Argente* Maria Letizia Gazzoni - Letizia* Carlo Croccolo - Carlette...

), and was a film producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

 of two (Tutto e' musica of 1963 was his own biographical production).

The 1970s kept Modugno's voice and mind busy in more classic music genres and profiles, as a singer and as a musician, adapting poetry, acting on television and in lead singing roles of modern opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s.

In 1986, Modugno entered the political arena as a member of the Italian Radical Party and was elected congressman for Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 in June 1987. In this last stage of his life, he was active in social issues, fighting against inhuman conditions of patients in the Agrigento

Agrigento

Agrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden...

 psychiatric hospital.

Domenico Modugno died from a heart attack in 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 ...

, Italy

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...

, in August 1994 in his home by the sea. His son Massimo is following his footsteps as a successful singer.

Hits

• "Lu pisce spada"
• "Lazzarella"
• "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu
  Volare (song)
  "Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
  
  " - also known as "Volare" (San Remo winner song, 1958), co-authored with Franco Migliacci
  Franco Migliacci
  Franco Migliacci is a lyricist, producer, and actor. He is also known as Francesco Migliacci.- Biography :...
  
  
• "La lontananza"
• "Piove
  Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina)
  "Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli...
  
  " - also known as "Ciao, ciao bambina" (San Remo winner song, 1959)
• "Sopra i tetti azzurri del mio pazzo amore"
• "Vecchio frac"
• "Non piangere Maria"
• "Amara terra mia"
• "Stasera pago io"
• "Il maestro di violino"
• "Tu si 'na cosa grande"
• "Questa è la mia vita"
• "Addio...addio..."
• "Piange il telefono"

San Remo Festival

Modugno was the winner four times (in 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1966).

• 1956 "Musetto"
• 1958 "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)
  Volare (song)
  "Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
  
  " (winner)
• 1959 "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)
  Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina)
  "Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli...
  
  " (winner)
• 1960 "Libero" (second place)
• 1962 "Addio... addio..." (winner)
• 1964 "Che me ne importa a me" (second place)
• 1966 "Dio, come ti amo" (winner)
• 1967 "Sopra i tetti azzurri del mio pazzo amore"
• 1968 "Il posto mio"
• 1971 "Come stai?"
• 1972 "Un calcio alla città"
• 1974 "Questa è la mia vita" (second place)

External links

• Domenico Modugno official site (some multimedia contents require QuickTime)
• Domenico Modugno russian site