Rocco Granata
Encyclopedia
Rocco Granata is a Belgian
singer, songwriter
, and accordion
ist.
Granata was born in Figline Vegliaturo
, Calabria
, southern Italy
; but his parents immigrated to Belgium when he was aged ten. Rocco's father was a coal miner, but after briefly working in the coal mines, Granata pursued music instead. He played accordion
and toured Belgium with his band, 'The International Quintet'. He then released the songs "Manuela" / "Marina" as a single
in 1959; the B-side
became an international hit
, reaching #1 in Belgium and in Germany as well as charting across Europe and in the United States
. It sold over one million copies in Germany alone, and was awarded a gold disc
. It has been covered
many times by artists
such as Marino Marini
, Dalida
and Louis Armstrong
.
After the success of "Marina", Granata toured the world, including dates at Carnegie Hall
. A feature film entitled Marina was released in 1960, which set the stage for a string of German hits. He also appeared in Italy at the Sanremo Festival in 1961.
Granata later became a successful record producer
. He owned the record label
s Cardinal Records
and Granata Records, and has produced Marva
, Louis Neefs, Miel Cools, and De Elegasten.
In 1989, Granata commissioned a dance
remix
of "Marina", which again topped the Belgian charts as well as those of Italy and Germany. He has appeared regularly on Belgian television, and served as a jury member for the 2002 Flemish preliminaries for the Eurovision Song Contest
. In March 2000 he was awarded the ZAMU Lifetime Achievement Award by the Belgian music industry.
Granata has released some 65 albums over the course of his career.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
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 accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist.
Granata was born in Figline Vegliaturo
Figline Vegliaturo
Figline Vegliaturo is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.It is the birthplace of singer Rocco Granata....
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, southern 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...
; but his parents immigrated to Belgium when he was aged ten. Rocco's father was a coal miner, but after briefly working in the coal mines, Granata pursued music instead. He played accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and toured Belgium with his band, 'The International Quintet'. He then released the songs "Manuela" / "Marina" as a 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...
in 1959; the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
became an 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...
, reaching #1 in Belgium and in Germany as well as charting across Europe and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It sold over one million copies in Germany alone, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. It has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
many times by artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
such as Marino Marini
Marino Marini (musician)
Marino Marini was an Italian popular musician who achieved international success in the 1950s and 1960s.He was born into a family of musicians in Seggiano in the Grosetto region of Italy. After briefly studying electronics, he studied piano, violin and composition at the Conservatorio Rossini at...
, Dalida
Dalida
Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
.
After the success of "Marina", Granata toured the world, including dates at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. A feature film entitled Marina was released in 1960, which set the stage for a string of German hits. He also appeared in Italy at the Sanremo Festival in 1961.
Granata later became a successful record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He owned the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s Cardinal Records
Cardinal Records (1964)
Cardinal Records was the name of a record label from Belgium founded in 1964 by Rocco Granata & Mr. Craeynest. Later Mr. Granata became the sole owner....
and Granata Records, and has produced Marva
Marva
Marva is a program in the Israel Defense Forces that allows young Jews to learn and experience the basics of IDF and Israeli life. Beginning in 1982, Marva operated out of a base in the Galilee, although it now is based at Sde Boker. It was originally associated with Gadna, youth battalions,...
, Louis Neefs, Miel Cools, and De Elegasten.
In 1989, Granata commissioned a 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...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of "Marina", which again topped the Belgian charts as well as those of Italy and Germany. He has appeared regularly on Belgian television, and served as a jury member for the 2002 Flemish preliminaries for 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...
. In March 2000 he was awarded the ZAMU Lifetime Achievement Award by the Belgian music industry.
Granata has released some 65 albums over the course of his career.
Singles
- "Marina" (1959) BEL #1, US #31, GER #1
- "Oh oh Rossi" (1959) BEL #20, GER #14
- "La Bella" (1960) BEL #4, GER #18
- "Julia"/"Rocco Cha Cha" (1960) BEL #14
- "Germanina" (1960) BEL #16
- "Carolina dai" (1961) BEL #11
- "Irena" (1961) GER #15
- "Sunday Box EP" (1961) BEL #17
- "Buona notte bambina" (1963) BEL #4, GER #5
- "Du schwarzer Zigeuner" (1964) BEL #5
- "Dreh' dich noch einmal um" (1964) BEL #10
- "Molte grazie" (1964) BEL #12
- "Noordzeestrand" (1964) BEL #9
- "Melancholie" (1965) BEL #18
- "Hello buona sera" (1967) BEL #3
- "Sarah" (1970) BEL #4
- "Jessica" (1971) BEL #5
- "Zomersproetjes" (1972) BEL #4
- "Dansen op de daken" (1973) BEL #4
- "Marina 120 BPM" (1989) BEL #1