Beniamino "Mino" Reitano (December 7, 1944 – January 27, 2009) was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor. Reitano was born in Fiumara, a small village in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. His father, an employee at the local railway station, was very passionate about music, and encouraged all his sons to learn to play an instrument. After a spell in the local brass band, Reitano moved to

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

, where he studied at the

Francesco Cilea Francesco Cilea (; 23 July 1866 – 20 November 1950) was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas ''L'arlesiana'' and ''Adriana Lecouvreur''. Biography Born in Palmi near Reggio di Calabria, Cilea was the son of a pr ...

Conservatory for eight years, learning piano, trumpet, and violin. In the late 1950s, Reitano moved with his brothers to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, where they formed a rock'n'roll band, Benjamin & His Brothers. They often played at the

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, sharing the bill with

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and

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. After a couple of years, Reitano returned to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where he recorded his first single, ''Twist Time''. After a successful performance at the Castrocaro Music Festival, he was offered a contract with the Italian label

Dischi Ricordi Dischi Ricordi was an Italian record company founded on by and Franco Crepax (brother of Guido Crepax), active from 1958 to 1994. History Dischi Ricordi had its seat in Milan (Via Giovanni Berchet, 2). In 1994, the company was bought by B ...

, and in 1967 he participated for the first time at the Sanremo Festival. His first commercial hit was ''Avevo un cuore (che ti amava tanto)'' (1968). Reitano was an actor and starred in such films as '' Povero Cristo'', '' I'm Crazy About Iris Blond'' and '' Long Lasting Days''. Reitano died in

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, aged 64, of

intestinal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

, after a long period of illness.Italian Music: Mino Reitano dies at 64

Discography

*1969 – ''Mino canta Reitano'' (Ariston Records, AR 10031) *1971 – ''L'uomo e la valigia'' (Durium, ms AI 77266) *1972 – ''Ti amo tanto tanto'' (Durium, ms AI 77296) *1973 – ''Partito per amore'' (Durium, ms AI 77322) *1974 – ''Tutto Mino'' (Durium, ms AI 77338) *1975 – ''Dedicato a Frank'' (Durium, ms AI 77361) *1976 – ''Omaggio alla mia terra'' (Durium, ms AI 77376) *1976 – ''I miei successi'' (Ariston Records) *1976 – ''Sogno d'amore'' (Durium, ms AI 77388) *1980 – ''OK Mister'' (Mister, MRL 1001) *1980 – ''Le più belle canzoni per bambini'' (Mister, SM 702) *1981 – ''Omaggio a Napoli'' (Mister, MRL 1002) *1985 – ''Isole d'amore'' (Five Record, FM 13542) *1986 – ''I cantautori'' (Five Record, FM 13564) *1987 – ''Questo uomo ti ama'' (Five Record) *1990 – ''Vorrei'' (Fonit Cetra) *1991 – ''Mino Reitano Story'' (Air Plane APCD 2002) *1992 – ''Ma ti sei chiesto mai'' (Fonit Cetra, MFLP 020) *1994 – ''Canne al vento'' (BMG) *1996 – ''Il meglio – Dal vivo'' (DV More Record, DV 2027) (live) *1999 – ''Musica tua – i Grandi Successi'' (anthology) *2000 – ''Flashback – i Grandi successi originali'' (anthology) *2002 – ''La mia canzone... le mie canzoni'' (Cassiopea Music, CAS 507630 2) *2004 – ''Italia – Dal vivo'' (DV More Record DV 6744) (live)

References

External links

* * 1944 births 2009 deaths People from the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Male actors from Calabria Deaths from cancer in Lombardy Deaths from colorectal cancer in Italy 20th-century Italian male singers People of Calabrian descent Italian male film actors 20th-century Italian male actors {{Italy-singer-stub