I Santo California are an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

musical group active since 1974. They are best known for their debut single " Tornerò" which became an international no. one hit in 1975.

History

The group was founded by five musicians originating from

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. Originally called La Nuova Frontiera, the band initially performed in clubs and beach resorts in the

Amalfi Coast The Amalfi Coast ( or ) is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Attracting international tourists o ...

. In 1974, during a concert in

Nocera Inferiore Nocera Inferiore ( or simply , , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It lies west of Nocera Superiore, at the foot of Monte Albino, some 20 km east-southeast of Naples by rail. ...

, they caught the attention of Elio Palumbo who helped them sign a contract with the Italian label Yep Record in Rome. At that point, the band changed the name to I Santo California. They released their debut single, " Tornerò", at the end of 1974. A sentimental love ballad, "Tornerò" was a major hit in Italy and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

where it spent several weeks at no. one in 1975. In Switzerland, "Tornerò" became the best-selling single of the year. It also peaked at number five in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. The band's debut album charted within the top twenty in Italy. The follow-up single, "Un angelo", peaked at no. two in the Italian charts and no. ten in Switzerland in the spring of 1976. The band continued the international success with "Dolce amore mio" which reached no. six in Italy and no. three in Switzerland. In 1977, I Santo California took part to the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

with the song "Monica", finishing third. The song quickly turned into another international hit for the band. In 1978, they scored their last top ten hit in Italy with "Manuela, amore!". After that, I Santo California's popularity decreased. The band continued to record and perform but struggled to maintain the same degree of commercial success. Following a break of fourteen years, in 1994 the band released a new album ''1994 Per un mondo migliore''.

Members

* Pietro Paolo Barbella - vocals, keyboard (1974 – present) * Donato Farina - drums (1974 – present) * Domenico "Mimmo" Aiello - bass (1974 – present) * Ninni Gibboni - chitarre Former members * Massimo Caso - guitar (1974 – 1979) * Gianni Galizia - chitarre, keyboard (1974 – 1990)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo California, I Italian musical groups Musical groups established in 1974 Musicians from Naples