Renato Carosone (; born Renato Carusone; 3 January 1920 – 20 May 2001) was an Italian musician. He was a prominent figure of the

Italian music The term ''Italian music'' is ambiguous and may refer to several topics: *The music of Italy *The folk, popular, classical (especially opera) musics of Italy and the Italian people , flag = , flag_caption = The national ...

scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called ''

canzone napoletana Canzone napoletana (), sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song ( nap, canzona napulitana ), 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 b ...

'', a traditional music genre from

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

. His biggest successes were: "'O Sarracino", "Caravan Petrol", " Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano", "Maruzzella" and "Pigliate na' pastiglia". Carosone was one of the first post-war Italian artists (the other one being

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received Grammy ...

) who sold records and toured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

without singing in English.

Biography

Beginnings

Carosone was born in

, the older of three siblings. His father, who worked in a theatre box office, encouraged him to pursue music. He studied

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and composition at the Naples Conservatory and obtained his diploma in 1937, when he was just 17. A few months later he signed a contract to perform as a

band leader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues ...

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...

. Carosone worked at the Odeon Club in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

, where he become a prominent figure of the local music scene, performing a combination of big-band music, Napoletan songs and Eritrean percussive elements. In 1938 Carosone met dancer Lita Levidi in Addis Ababa. The two fell in love and eventually got married. Carosone adopted her son, Pino. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Carosone was drafted to fight in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. In 1946, at the end of the war, he returned to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Partially due to his long tenure abroad and the years of inactivity caused by the war, Carosone discovered to be virtually unknown in his home country. He started his career afresh, playing piano for small dance-hall bands. These new performances were strongly influenced by the new rhythms and music styles he had encountered during his ten years in Eritrea and caught the attention of local promoters.

Success

In 1949 Carosone was asked to put together a band for a club's opening night. After some auditions, he signed the Dutch

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themsel ...

Peter van Houten and the Neapolitan

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

Gegè Di Giacomo Gennaro Di Giacomo (1918–2005) was an Italian drummer and singer. Biography Nephew of the poet Salvatore Di Giacomo Salvatore Di Giacomo (12 March 1860 – 5 April 1934) was an Italian poet, songwriter, playwright and fascist, one of ...

and formed the Trio Carosone. The trio would later become a quartet with the addition of the Hungarian

romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

musician Elek Bacsik on bass, guitar and violin. During the 1950s Carosone became more and more popular, his orchestra was in great demand both in Italy and abroad, and records sales were soaring high. His song "Torero", entered the charts in the United States in the summer of 1958. "Torero" was translated into twelve languages and covered by almost thirty artists in the

alone, including versions by

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

and

The King Brothers The King Brothers were a British pop vocal trio popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They are best remembered for their cover versions of " Standing on the Corner" and " A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)". Career The group was co ...

. In 1957 Carosone and his band embarked on an American tour, kicking off in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

. This tour concluded with a triumphant performance at the prestigious

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Carosone was then signed by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, which released his first two albums: ''Honeymoon in Rome'' (1957) and ''Renato Carosone!'' (1959). He then moved to

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...

and recorded ''Blue Italian Skies'' (1958). His fourth studio album, ''Carnevale Carosone'' (1960) was released by

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

Retirement

At the height of his career, Carosone announced his retirement from music in 1960. He felt that the advent of

Rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

had the consequence of making his swing, big-band sound no longer popular: "I'd rather retire now on the crest of the wave, than being tormented later by the idea of rock and roll wiping away all that I have achieved in so many years of hard work". His decision to retire caused an uproar. Some observers even suspected obscure underworld threats. Away from the spotlight, Carosone turned to other interests, mainly

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

. In 2007 the

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

Museum in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

organized a large exhibition of his work.

Comeback

On 9 August 1975 Carosone made his comeback in a

televised Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

concert. He then resumed his musical career with live concerts, performances at the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...

and TV appearances until the late 1990s.

Repertoire

The majority of Carosone's songs were the result of his long and fruitful collaboration with the

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

Nicola Salerno Nicola Salerno, also known as Nisa (11 March 1910 – 22 May 1969) was an Italian lyricist. He formed a famous songwriting duo with Renato Carosone. Career Nicola Salerno was born in Naples, Italy. His first hit was "Eulalia Torricelli" of ...

, who used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

Nisa. "'O suspiro", "Torero", " Tu vuò fà l'americano", "Mambo Italiano", " Caravan Petrol", "Pigliate 'na pastiglia" and "'O Sarracino" were among their greatest hits. A few famous songs not co-written by Nisa were "...E la barca tornò sola" (a parody of a song performed by

Gino Latilla Gennaro "Gino" Latilla (7 November 1924, Bari – 11 September 2011, Florence) was an Italian singer. In 1954 he won the Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just ...

at Sanremo Music Festival in 1954); "Tre numeri al lotto"; "Maruzzella" (dedicated to his wife); and "'O russo e 'a rossa'"

Death

Carosone died on 20 May 2001 at the age of 81 in

, Italy.

Discography

*''Honeymoon in Rome'' (1958) *''Blue Italian Skies'' (1958) *''Renato Carosone'' (1959) *''Carnevale Carosone'' (1960) *''Pianofortissimamente Carosone'' (1975) *''Sempre'' (1982) *''Nu' canzoncella doce doce'' (1982)