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# 81 JULY 18 , 2016
# 81 juLY 18 , 2016
read more about #Great Italians of the Past
GREAT ITALIANS OF THE PAST:
DOMENICO MODUGNO
By Giovanni Verde
Widely regarded as one
of the fathers of the Italian
song writing, Domenico
Modugno is one of two
Italian artists, along with
Renato Carosone, who
had the ability to sell records in the United States
with songs in the original
Italian language. Domenico Modugno was born in
Polignano a Mare, Puglia,
on January 9, 1928, from
Vito Cosimo Modugno
and Easter Lorusso.
During his adolescence
he learns to play the guitar, thanks to the teachings
of his father Vito Cosimo,
and the accordion, while
in 1945 he composes his
first two songs, which will
never be recorded.
After moving to San Pietro
Vernotico, in the province of Brindisi, his tireless
theatrical activity begins.
However, the country life
doesn't suit him, and therefore he decides to move
to Turin and then to Rome,
where he wins a competition for amateur actors
that allows him to enroll in
the National Film School,
the school for actors. There he meets an aspiring
young Sicilian actress,
Franca Gandolfi, who later
will become his wife on
June 26, 1955.
In 1952 the young actor
is in a theater play, The
Bourgeois
Gentleman
by Molière. Once obtained the diploma from the
Experimental Centre of
Cinematography in 1953,
Domenico continues to
be an extra in a few movies: his dream is to be an
actor, even if he continues
to perform also as a musician. Meanwhile, he's also
a radio star.
that song, but this will serDomenico involves Fran- ve to raise the interest of The Apulian singer so deca Gandolfi and so, in ear- the Italian radio and tele- scribes the birth of his success in the United States:
ly 1953, he hosts the show vision executives.
"In a radio station in Michi"Amuri, amuri" those are
the days when begins the Modugno soon becomes gan or in Indiana, I can't
legend of Domenico Mo- one of the protagonists of remember, a gentleman
dugno as a sicilian born: the Italian and internatio- comes with my record and
many mistake the Salento nal pop music when triu- airs it. The day after 2,000
dialect of this and other mphs at the 1958 edition people calls on the phone
songs for the Sicilian dia- of the Sanremo Festival asking to listen it again,
lect, and the singer, at le- 1958 with Johnny Dorelli. and so he airs it again.
ast at that time, does not The winning song is "Nel The day after, again 2,000
deny, attracting the hatred blu dipinto di blu", global- phone calls. The success
ly known as "Volare". The of "Volare" was thus born.
of many Sicilians.
lyrics of this masterpieIn May 1953 Frank Sinatra ce are written by Modu- It is in this period that the
is the guest of an Italian gno together with Franco Americans nickname him
radio program, during Migliacci, his partner in "Mr. Volare", and also his
which Modugno perfor- several moments of his song "Nel blu dipinto di
ms "Ninna nanna": Sinatra career, leading to more blu" is known by this title,
appreciates very much the successful results such as and remains at the top of
song, and asks Modugno "Addio, addio" (Goodbye, the US hit parade for thira recording of the song. Goodbye), which is tran- teen consecutive weeks,
Sinatra will never record slated in 13 languages all a record yet today unsurover the world.
passed by any other Ita-
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