Zucchero
Encyclopedia
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander
(aˈdɛlmo fornaˈtʃari; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name
Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel
, blues
and rock music
, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.
Zucchero is the Italian word for sugar. In his career, spanning four decades, Fornaciari has sold over 40 million records around the world and has achieved numerous awards, including two World Music Awards, six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.
, Italy
(in the frazione
of Roncocesi) although he spent most of his childhood in the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi
(Province of Lucca
, Tuscany
). Fornaciari currently lives in Pontremoli
.
began in 1970, with several small bands such as I ducali, Le nuove luci, Sugar & Daniel, Sugar & Candies and finally with a band
named Taxi, with whom he won the Castrocaro music festival
in 1981. He made his first appearance in the famous Sanremo festival next year with the songs "Una notte che vola via" and in 1983 with "Nuvola" at Festival dei Fiori. His first album, Un po' di Zucchero, was released the same year with moderate success.
In 1984, Fornaciari temporarily moved to California
, where he collaborated for the first time with Italian producer Corrado Rustici. The result of these sessions, with a backing band that included bassist Randy Jackson
, was the 1985 album Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, of which the single "Donne" became a huge hit in Italy. After the relative success of Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, Fornaciari and Rustici again gathered in California to work on a follow-up. Rispetto, which included several hit singles including the titletrack and "Come il sole all'improvviso", combining the Italo-pop sound of Fornaciari's earlier albums with a more American soul sound.
Although Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band and Rispetto had been commercially successful, it was the 1988 album Blue's that went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history, and made Fornaciari a household name in Italy, and the rest of Europe. The album, again produced by Rustici and featuring musical performances by Clarence Clemons
, The Memphis Horns
and David Sancious
, included the Italian hit singles "Con Le Mani" (with lyrics by Gino Paoli
), the controversial "Solo una sana...", and the original version of "Senza una Donna" which later became an international hit in a duet version with Paul Young
. During the following Blue's Tour Fornaciari shared the stage with Joe Cocker
(for a cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends
"), Ray Charles
and Dee Dee Bridgewater
.
In 1989 Fornaciari and his band recorded the album Oro incenso e birra
in Memphis. The album, which is greatly influenced by American soul music, included guest appearances by Eric Clapton
, and blues singer Rufus Thomas
, while Fornaciari's band by that time included former E-Street Band member David Sancious
. Oro, incenso e birra still stands as one of Fornaciari's most successful albums, outselling even Blue's and includes the Italian hit singles "Diamante", "Overdose (d'Amore)", "Il Mare" and "Wonderful World".
After the million selling success of Blue's and Oro incenso e birra in Italy, and his collaborations with Joe Cocker
, Stevie Ray Vaughan
, Eric Clapton
and Miles Davis
, Fornaciari from 1990 on attempted to conquer the rest of Europe. The album Blue’s was released the following year in the United Kingdom, and in 1990 Zucchero Sings his Hits in English, an album that featured songs from the Blue's and Oro incenso e birra albums, some of which translated to English by Frank Musker, was released worldwide.
Fornaciari's best known hit "Senza una donna
" ("Without a Woman"), in a duet with Paul Young
, is from this album. The first pressing of the album didn't feature the duet: the song was performed by Fornaciari only. The duet was a great success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in European charts. Other European hit singles from this album include English versions of "Diamante" (of which the original Italian lyrics were written by Francesco De Gregori
, and "Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton
). Diamante was later released as a duet with Randy Crawford
, a variant not available on any album until the special edition of Zu & Co.
Between 1991 and 1993 Fornaciari continued duetting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti
, a young Andrea Bocelli
, Peter Maffay
, Elton John
, Brian May
and Eric Clapton
. Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation Zu & Co. (2004). 1992 saw Fornaciari perform at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
, with the remaining three members of Queen
, singing "Las Palabras de Amor
". 1991 also saw the release of Fornaciari's first live album Live at the Kremlin, recorded in Moscow and featuring guest appearances by Randy Crawford (on John Lennon
's "Imagine
") and Toni Childs
.
In 1992 Fornaciari released the album Miserere
. Again produced by Corrado Rustici, it was a much darker album than Fornaciari's previous works, which was made clear by the title track, a duet with Luciano Pavarotti
. Elvis Costello
wrote the lyrics to the track "Miss Mary
", U2
's Bono
was responsible for the English version of the title track and Paul Buchanan
of The Blue Nile
provided two sets of English lyrics. On the album and during the tour, Fornaciari was accompanied by former Santana
drummer Michael Shrieve
. The album Diamante was released in Mexico and other Latin American countries in 1994, and was an attempt to use the same method of Zucchero sings his hits in English for the Spanish and Latin American market, also in 1994 Fornaciari was the only European artist to perform at the 25th anniversary edition of the Woodstock festival
.
The 1995 album Spirito DiVino, that included the smash European hits "Il Volo", "Papa perché?" and "X colpa di chi", is one of Fornaciari's most successful up to date: selling over 3 million copies in Europe alone and ending up on the first place in the Italian year charts, the album proved a huge commercial success. On the album Fornaciari adds a certain New Orleans blues feeling to his music (especially on songs like "Voodoo Voodoo") and is accompanied by musicians such as David Sancious
, Jeff Beck
(on "Papa Perché?"), Sheila E.
(on "Alleluja", written with Italian rapper Jovanotti
) and former Chuck Berry
pianist Johnny Johnson.
The compilation The Best of Zucchero "sugar" Fornaciari´s greatest hits was released in 1996, shooting into all European charts, and up to the number one position in France and Italy. The CD, released in an Italian and an English version, contained 13 of Fornaciari's greatest hits (excluding the Miserere period) and three new songs including the hit single "Menta e rosmarino" ("I feel so lonely tonight"). During the sold out tour Fornaciari sang with Buddy Guy
in Milan, and played "My Love" (the English version of "Il Volo") and "Un piccolo aiuto" (together with Eric Clapton
) during the ´96 Pavarotti and Friends show. The Best of-tour also brought Fornaciari to the US for the first time playing to sold out clubs in New York and LA.
On the 1998 album Bluesugar, Fornaciari moved from Spirito DiVino´s New Orleans feeling to a more English rock style. The CD was produced by Corrado Rustici and the band included Santana bassist Benny Rietveld and bluesharp player Mark Feltham
. Steve Winwood
played Hammond on two songs and U2
's Bono
wrote the lyrics to the English version of "Blu". The CD went on to sell over 1 million copies in several months.
Following a lengthy tour to promote Bluesugar, Fornaciari took some time off to work on new music and reappeared in the summer of 2001 with the smash European single "Baila morena
". Shake, the album that followed two months later, was again produced by Corrado Rustici, ended up being one of the fastest selling Fornaciari albums ever (2 million in Europe in 10 months). On the album blues god John Lee Hooker
appears on the ballad "Ali D´Oro", his last recording before his death in June 2001. In 2002 and 2003 Fornaciari and his band toured throughout Europe and Canada with the Shake tour.
The spring of 2004 saw the release of the duet album Zu & Co.
. On the album, which had been sixteen years in the making, Fornaciari duets with international stars such as Sting, B.B. King, Miles Davis
, Maná
, Sheryl Crow
, Eric Clapton
and Solomon Burke
. On 6 May 2004 the album was presented during a concert in London's Royal Albert Hall
, where many of the album's gueststars appeared to perform with Fornaciari. Zu & Co., and its American 2005 counterpart Zucchero & Co which was released on the Starbucks
Hear Music label, became huge hits. In July 2005, Fornaciari took part in the Live 8
concerts in both Rome and Paris.
In September 2006 his album, Fly
, was released. Produced by Don Was
, it included the European hit singles "Bacco perbacco", "Cuba libre", "Occhi", and "Un Kilo", and features collaborations with artists such as Ivano Fossati
and Jovanotti
. The album's track "L'amore è nell'aria" ("Love Is In The Air"), borrows the instrumental backing to the b-side "Broken" by UK rock band Feeder
, but it is a new recording based on the Feeder original rather than a sample taken directly from the recording. The FLY tour, kicking off in May in Paris, France, has included dates in most European countries, as well as the U.S. (including a show in Carnegie Hall
in New York), and Latin America.
In November 2007, Fornaciari released a new compilation album with several new tracks, including a cover of Black's "Wonderful Life" and the Phd
track "I won't let you down" (in the Italian adaption "Tutti i colori della mia vita". In the spring of 2008 Fornaciari began his All the Best tour, which so far included stops in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Ireland, as well as performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Kremlin in Moscow, and San Siro stadium in Milan. A short American tour, including another stop at Carnegie Hall
, followed, as well as Fornaciari's first performances in Australia, where he was joined on stage by Tina Arena
in Sydney, and concerts in the United Kingdom, and Italy. November 2008 also saw the release of Live in Italy
, a 2 CD, 2 DVD boxset with recordings of performances in Verona
in 2007 and Milan
in 2008, as well as three new tracks, including the single "Una Carezza".
In November 2010, Fornaciari released a studio album entitled Chocabeck. The album was produced by Don Was
and Brendan O'Brien and includes collaborations with Brian Wilson
and U2
's Bono
. The first single in Italy was the song E Un Peccato Morir, and in the rest of Europe Chocabeck and Alla Fine. Fornaciari will tour to promote this album in 2011.
)
Omri
Omri was a king of Israel, successful military campaigner and first in the line of Omride kings that included Ahab, Ahaziah and Joram.He was "commander of the army" of king Elah when Zimri murdered Elah and made himself king. Instead, the troops at Gibbethon chose Omri as king, and he led them to...
(aˈdɛlmo fornaˈtʃari; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by 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:...
Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.
Zucchero is the Italian word for sugar. In his career, spanning four decades, Fornaciari has sold over 40 million records around the world and has achieved numerous awards, including two World Music Awards, six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.
Personal life
Adelmo Fornaciari was born in Reggio EmiliaReggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
, 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 frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Roncocesi) although he spent most of his childhood in the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi
Forte dei Marmi
Forte dei Marmi is a sea town and comune in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany . It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians....
(Province of Lucca
Province of Lucca
The Province of Lucca is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca.It has an area of 1,773 km², and a total population of 372,244...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
). Fornaciari currently lives in Pontremoli
Pontremoli
Pontremoli is a small city, comune and bishop's see in the province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy. Literally translated, "Pontremoli" derives from "Trembling Bridge" , with the commune having been named after a prominent bridge across the Magra.Pontremoli is situated in the upper...
.
Career
Early career and success in Italy
His musical careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
began in 1970, with several small bands such as I ducali, Le nuove luci, Sugar & Daniel, Sugar & Candies and finally with a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
named Taxi, with whom he won the Castrocaro music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in 1981. He made his first appearance in the famous Sanremo festival next year with the songs "Una notte che vola via" and in 1983 with "Nuvola" at Festival dei Fiori. His first album, Un po' di Zucchero, was released the same year with moderate success.
In 1984, Fornaciari temporarily moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he collaborated for the first time with Italian producer Corrado Rustici. The result of these sessions, with a backing band that included bassist Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
, was the 1985 album Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, of which the single "Donne" became a huge hit in Italy. After the relative success of Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, Fornaciari and Rustici again gathered in California to work on a follow-up. Rispetto, which included several hit singles including the titletrack and "Come il sole all'improvviso", combining the Italo-pop sound of Fornaciari's earlier albums with a more American soul sound.
Although Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band and Rispetto had been commercially successful, it was the 1988 album Blue's that went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history, and made Fornaciari a household name in Italy, and the rest of Europe. The album, again produced by Rustici and featuring musical performances by Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
, The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns are an American horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. They have been called "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever." Originally a sextet, the Memphis Horns gradually slimmed down to a duo, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor...
and David Sancious
David Sancious
David Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and...
, included the Italian hit singles "Con Le Mani" (with lyrics by Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli is an Italian singer-songwriter. He wrote four masterpieces of Italian popular music: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine" and "Sapore di sale".- Biography :...
), the controversial "Solo una sana...", and the original version of "Senza una Donna" which later became an international hit in a duet version with Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
. During the following Blue's Tour Fornaciari shared the stage with Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
(for a cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends
With a Little Help from My Friends
-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
"), Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American Jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award - winning stage actress and host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater...
.
In 1989 Fornaciari and his band recorded the album Oro incenso e birra
Oro incenso e birra
Oro Incenso e Birra is the fourth studio album released by the Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero on 13 June 1989. As with his previous album Blue's, the album is credited to "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". Its title represents a pun on "oro incenso e mirra", the Italian for "gold, frankincense and...
in Memphis. The album, which is greatly influenced by American soul music, included guest appearances by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, and blues singer Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
, while Fornaciari's band by that time included former E-Street Band member David Sancious
David Sancious
David Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and...
. Oro, incenso e birra still stands as one of Fornaciari's most successful albums, outselling even Blue's and includes the Italian hit singles "Diamante", "Overdose (d'Amore)", "Il Mare" and "Wonderful World".
International success
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Fornaciari from 1990 on attempted to conquer the rest of Europe. The album Blue’s was released the following year in the United Kingdom, and in 1990 Zucchero Sings his Hits in English, an album that featured songs from the Blue's and Oro incenso e birra albums, some of which translated to English by Frank Musker, was released worldwide.
Fornaciari's best known hit "Senza una donna
Senza una donna
"Senza una donna" is a 1987 song co-written and performed by Zucchero Fornaciari and rerecorded in 1991 with Paul Young. The song was then released as a single under the title "Senza una donna " which reached #4 in the UK Single Chart and #2 in the German Singles Chart and the French Singles Chart...
" ("Without a Woman"), in a duet with Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, is from this album. The first pressing of the album didn't feature the duet: the song was performed by Fornaciari only. The duet was a great success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in European charts. Other European hit singles from this album include English versions of "Diamante" (of which the original Italian lyrics were written by Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is popularly known as "Il Principe Poeta" , a nickname referring to the elegance of his lyrics.-1970s:...
, and "Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
). Diamante was later released as a duet with Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...
, a variant not available on any album until the special edition of Zu & Co.
Zu & Co.
Zu & Co. is a compilation of songs, mostly written by Italian rock singer Zucchero. With the exception of "Indaco Dagli occhi Del Cielo" and "Il Grande Baboomba", all songs have previously been recorded and released by Zucchero...
Between 1991 and 1993 Fornaciari continued duetting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, a young Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
, Peter Maffay
Peter Maffay
Peter Alexander Makkay better known as Peter Maffay is a German musician.- Biography :Born in Brasov, Romania, the son of a German , he was 14 when his family relocated to his parents' Germany in 1963. In the same year, he started his first band, The Dukes...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation Zu & Co. (2004). 1992 saw Fornaciari perform at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992 at London's Wembley Stadium, for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis and broadcast live on television and radio to 76 countries around the...
, with the remaining three members of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, singing "Las Palabras de Amor
Las Palabras de Amor
"Las Palabras de Amor " is a rock ballad by English rock band Queen. It was released as the third single from their 1982 album Hot Space...
". 1991 also saw the release of Fornaciari's first live album Live at the Kremlin, recorded in Moscow and featuring guest appearances by Randy Crawford (on John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
") and Toni Childs
Toni Childs
Toni Childs is an American singer-songwriter from Orange, California. She has released four studio albums and is best known for her songs "Don't Walk Away" , "I've Got To Go Now", a Top 5 hit in Australia in 1991, and the Emmy-winning "Because You're Beautiful" Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957)...
.
In 1992 Fornaciari released the album Miserere
Miserere (album)
Miserere is an album released by Zucchero in 1992. It is Zucchero's 7th studio album.-Track listing:-Musicians:* Zucchero: vocals* Corrado Rustici: guitars, backing vocals* Peter John Vitesse: keyboards* David Sancious: keyboards* Polo Jones: bass...
. Again produced by Corrado Rustici, it was a much darker album than Fornaciari's previous works, which was made clear by the title track, a duet with Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
. Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
wrote the lyrics to the track "Miss Mary
Miss Mary
Miss Mary is a 1986 drama film directed by María Luisa Bemberg and starring Julie Christie, Nacha Guevara and Eduardo Pavlovsky. It was an Argentine-American co-production shot on location in Argentina....
", U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
was responsible for the English version of the title track and Paul Buchanan
Paul Buchanan
Paul Buchanan is a professional boxer, fighting out of West Denton. He turned pro on 31 January 2001....
of The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is an adult alternative/pop band from Glasgow. The music of The Blue Nile is built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured acoustic guitar more prominently.-Early years:...
provided two sets of English lyrics. On the album and during the tour, Fornaciari was accompanied by former Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
drummer Michael Shrieve
Michael Shrieve
Michael Shrieve is an American drummer, percussionist, and later, an electronic music composer. He is best known as the drummer in Carlos Santana's eponymous band, playing on their first eight albums from 1969 through 1974...
. The album Diamante was released in Mexico and other Latin American countries in 1994, and was an attempt to use the same method of Zucchero sings his hits in English for the Spanish and Latin American market, also in 1994 Fornaciari was the only European artist to perform at the 25th anniversary edition of the Woodstock festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
.
The 1995 album Spirito DiVino, that included the smash European hits "Il Volo", "Papa perché?" and "X colpa di chi", is one of Fornaciari's most successful up to date: selling over 3 million copies in Europe alone and ending up on the first place in the Italian year charts, the album proved a huge commercial success. On the album Fornaciari adds a certain New Orleans blues feeling to his music (especially on songs like "Voodoo Voodoo") and is accompanied by musicians such as David Sancious
David Sancious
David Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and...
, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
(on "Papa Perché?"), Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
(on "Alleluja", written with Italian rapper Jovanotti
Jovanotti
Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper.The name Jovanotti derives from the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto , i.e. giovanotti. Lorenzo Cherubini originally auditioned a band with the name "I Giovanotti", but the record producer only was...
) and former Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
pianist Johnny Johnson.
The compilation The Best of Zucchero "sugar" Fornaciari´s greatest hits was released in 1996, shooting into all European charts, and up to the number one position in France and Italy. The CD, released in an Italian and an English version, contained 13 of Fornaciari's greatest hits (excluding the Miserere period) and three new songs including the hit single "Menta e rosmarino" ("I feel so lonely tonight"). During the sold out tour Fornaciari sang with Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
in Milan, and played "My Love" (the English version of "Il Volo") and "Un piccolo aiuto" (together with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
) during the ´96 Pavarotti and Friends show. The Best of-tour also brought Fornaciari to the US for the first time playing to sold out clubs in New York and LA.
On the 1998 album Bluesugar, Fornaciari moved from Spirito DiVino´s New Orleans feeling to a more English rock style. The CD was produced by Corrado Rustici and the band included Santana bassist Benny Rietveld and bluesharp player Mark Feltham
Mark Feltham (musician)
Mark Feltham is an English musician best known for his harmonica playing. Feltham is a long term member of the British rhythm and blues band, Nine Below Zero, and Rory Gallagher's band; and is often utilised as a session musician.-Albums:*Nine Below Zero: Live at the Marquee ; Don't Point Your...
. Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
played Hammond on two songs and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
wrote the lyrics to the English version of "Blu". The CD went on to sell over 1 million copies in several months.
Following a lengthy tour to promote Bluesugar, Fornaciari took some time off to work on new music and reappeared in the summer of 2001 with the smash European single "Baila morena
Baila morena
"Baila morena" is a song recorded in 2001 by the Italian singer Zucchero. The song was released as a single twice : first in 2001 , reaching #1 in Italy, but achieving a moderate success in the other countries, then in 2006 as a duet with the band Maná, as the soundtrack of the film Les Bronzés 3 :...
". Shake, the album that followed two months later, was again produced by Corrado Rustici, ended up being one of the fastest selling Fornaciari albums ever (2 million in Europe in 10 months). On the album blues god John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
appears on the ballad "Ali D´Oro", his last recording before his death in June 2001. In 2002 and 2003 Fornaciari and his band toured throughout Europe and Canada with the Shake tour.
The spring of 2004 saw the release of the duet album Zu & Co.
Zu & Co.
Zu & Co. is a compilation of songs, mostly written by Italian rock singer Zucchero. With the exception of "Indaco Dagli occhi Del Cielo" and "Il Grande Baboomba", all songs have previously been recorded and released by Zucchero...
. On the album, which had been sixteen years in the making, Fornaciari duets with international stars such as Sting, B.B. King, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
. On 6 May 2004 the album was presented during a concert in London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, where many of the album's gueststars appeared to perform with Fornaciari. Zu & Co., and its American 2005 counterpart Zucchero & Co which was released on the Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
Hear Music label, became huge hits. In July 2005, Fornaciari took part in the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
concerts in both Rome and Paris.
In September 2006 his album, Fly
Fly (Zucchero album)
Fly is the 11th studio album by internationally acclaimed Italian artist Zucchero, released on 22 September 2006. The album was recorded in 2006 at the Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood with producer Don Was, and previewed at the historic Ca' Vendramin Calergi in Venice, on 18 September...
, was released. Produced by Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
, it included the European hit singles "Bacco perbacco", "Cuba libre", "Occhi", and "Un Kilo", and features collaborations with artists such as Ivano Fossati
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati is an Italian pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and percussionist born in Genoa. Fossati has several albums to date and has worked with such musicians as Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi,Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Francesco De Gregori and...
and Jovanotti
Jovanotti
Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper.The name Jovanotti derives from the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto , i.e. giovanotti. Lorenzo Cherubini originally auditioned a band with the name "I Giovanotti", but the record producer only was...
. The album's track "L'amore è nell'aria" ("Love Is In The Air"), borrows the instrumental backing to the b-side "Broken" by UK rock band Feeder
Feeder
-Technology:* Feeder , any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources* Feeder , another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities due to shrinkage...
, but it is a new recording based on the Feeder original rather than a sample taken directly from the recording. The FLY tour, kicking off in May in Paris, France, has included dates in most European countries, as well as the U.S. (including a show in 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....
in New York), and Latin America.
In November 2007, Fornaciari released a new compilation album with several new tracks, including a cover of Black's "Wonderful Life" and the Phd
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
track "I won't let you down" (in the Italian adaption "Tutti i colori della mia vita". In the spring of 2008 Fornaciari began his All the Best tour, which so far included stops in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Ireland, as well as performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Kremlin in Moscow, and San Siro stadium in Milan. A short American tour, including another stop 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....
, followed, as well as Fornaciari's first performances in Australia, where he was joined on stage by Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
in Sydney, and concerts in the United Kingdom, and Italy. November 2008 also saw the release of Live in Italy
Live in Italy
Live in Italy is the third installment of the "Official Bootleg" series from the 21st Century Schizoid Band. It is the first album to feature new drummer Ian Wallace, who replaced Michael Giles earlier that year.-Track listing:...
, a 2 CD, 2 DVD boxset with recordings of performances in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
in 2007 and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in 2008, as well as three new tracks, including the single "Una Carezza".
In November 2010, Fornaciari released a studio album entitled Chocabeck. The album was produced by Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
and Brendan O'Brien and includes collaborations with Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
. The first single in Italy was the song E Un Peccato Morir, and in the rest of Europe Chocabeck and Alla Fine. Fornaciari will tour to promote this album in 2011.
Selected discography
- Un po' di Zucchero (1983)
- Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band (1985)
- Rispetto (1986)
- Blue's (1987)
- Snack Bar Budapest (1988, movie soundtrack)
- Oro incenso e birraOro incenso e birraOro Incenso e Birra is the fourth studio album released by the Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero on 13 June 1989. As with his previous album Blue's, the album is credited to "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". Its title represents a pun on "oro incenso e mirra", the Italian for "gold, frankincense and...
(1989) - Zucchero sings his hits in English (1990)
- Zucchero (1991)
- Zucchero Live at the Kremlin (1991)
- MiserereMiserere (album)Miserere is an album released by Zucchero in 1992. It is Zucchero's 7th studio album.-Track listing:-Musicians:* Zucchero: vocals* Corrado Rustici: guitars, backing vocals* Peter John Vitesse: keyboards* David Sancious: keyboards* Polo Jones: bass...
(1992) - Diamante (1994)
- Spirito DiVino (1995)
- The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's greatest hits (1997)
- Bluesugar (1998)
- Overdose d'amore the ballads (1999)
- Bluesugar & Whitechristmas (1999)
- Shake (2001)
- Zu & Co.Zu & Co.Zu & Co. is a compilation of songs, mostly written by Italian rock singer Zucchero. With the exception of "Indaco Dagli occhi Del Cielo" and "Il Grande Baboomba", all songs have previously been recorded and released by Zucchero...
(2004) - Zu & Co live at the Royal Albert Hall - 6 May 2004 (2004)
- Zucchero & Co - American edition (2005) #84 US
- Zu & Co ultimate duets collection (2 CDs + DVD, 2005)
- FlyFly (Zucchero album)Fly is the 11th studio album by internationally acclaimed Italian artist Zucchero, released on 22 September 2006. The album was recorded in 2006 at the Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood with producer Don Was, and previewed at the historic Ca' Vendramin Calergi in Venice, on 18 September...
(2006) - All the Best (2007)
- Live in Italy (2 CDs + 2 DVDs, 2008)
- Live in Italy (1 CD + 1 DVD, US edition 2009)
- Chocabeck (2010)
External links
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Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
)