Paul Bradley Couling (born 27 February 1944), known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Mal or Mal Ryder, is a singer who achieved popularity in Italy in the late 1960s, singing with his band Mal and the Primitives. Born in Wales, he became a naturalized Italian citizen in 1989. One of his biggest hits was the Italian theme of the TV series '' Fury''.

Life and career

Born in Llanfrenchfa, at young age Mal moved to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, where he worked as an electrician and was vocalist in a number of local groups. In 1963, he formed the group Mal Ryder and the Spirits, which whom he recorded two singles for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

. In 1965, he formed the group Mal and the Primitives, with whom he recorded four singles for Pye. The same year,

Gianni Boncompagni Giandomenico "Gianni" Boncompagni (13 May 1932 – 16 April 2017) was a television and radio presenter, director, writer and lyricist. Life and career Born in Arezzo, at 18 years old Boncompagni moved to Sweden, where he lived for ten years do ...

and Alberico Crocetta offered the band a contract to perform at in Rome. In 1966, the band toured Italy, enjoying immediate success and deciding to settle there. The band's debut Italian single "Yeeeeeh!" was a massive hit, but Mal attracted most of interest by media and fans, leading to the group splitting and Mal starting a solo career. Mal's first solo hit was "Bambolina", which was followed by his Sanremo Music Festival 1969 entry "Tu sei bella come sei" and by "Pensiero d'amore", a cover of

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

' "

I've Gotta Get a Message to You "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in 1968, it was their second number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 2021 ...

", which was also adapted in a

musicarello The ''musicarello'' (; : ''musicarelli'') is a film subgenre which emerged in Italy and which is characterised by the presence in main roles of young singers, already famous among their peers, and their new record album. In the films there are a ...

film with the same title starring the same Mal and

Silvia Dionisio Silvia Dionisio (born 28 September 1951) is an Italian actress who appeared in several movies in the 1970s. Life and career Born in Rome, Dionisio made her acting debut when she was only 14 years old in John Schlesinger's '' Darling''. The f ...

. Following two more

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 ...

, in 1970 with "Sole pioggia e vento" and in 1971 with "Non dimenticarti di me", and a few more hits, notably "Betty Blue", Mal returned to perform in English language with "Mighty Mighty Roly Poly". In 1975, his career was relaunched by the unexpected success of his cover version of 1932 song "

Parlami d'amore Mariù "Parlami d'amore Mariù" (lit. "Tell me about love, Mariù"), known in its English-language versions as "Tell Me That You Love Me", is a 1932 Italian song composed by Cesare Andrea Bixio (music) and Ennio Neri (lyrics). Originally part of the com ...

", which topped the Italian hit parade. In 1977, he sold over one million copies with "Furia", the Italian opening theme used for the re-run of the TV-series '' Fury''. In 1982, Mal made his return to the Sanremo Music Festival with "Sei la mia donna". In the following years, his musical career consisted mainly of live events and appearances on nostalgia-themed TV shows. In 1997, he took part in a successful stage musical version of '' Grease'' starring

Lorella Cuccarini Lorella Cuccarini Persili (born August 10, 1965) is an Italian singer, actress, dancer, and television presenter. Life and career Cuccarini was born in Rome. At nine years old, she started to attend the dance school of (choreographer and husb ...

. In 2005, he took part in the

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a ...

reality show '' La Fattoria 2''. In 2023, he was the Hippo in ''

Il cantante mascherato ''Il cantante mascherato'' is an Italian reality singing competition television series part of the ''Masked Singer'' franchise. It premiered on Rai 1 on 10 January 2020. Production On 9 July 2019, it was announced that Rai 1 and Endemol Shine ...

'', the Italian version of ''

Masked Singer ''Masked Singer'' is an international music reality game show franchise. It originated from the South Korean program '' The King of Mask Singer'', developed by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Format The format features celebrities who perform ...

''.

Personal life

Mal is married to Renata Maialetti and has a son, Kevin, and a daughter, Karen. They live in

Pordenone Pordenone (; Venetian language, Venetian and ) is a city and (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the capital of the Province of Pordenone, Regional decentralization entity of Pordenone. The name comes from Lati ...

. Born in a Protestant family, he considers himself an atheist.

References

External links

*
The Primitives home page
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mal (singer) Living people 1944 births Welsh expatriates in Italy Welsh expatriate musicians British emigrants to Italy Italian male singers Italian pop singers Italian rock singers Welsh atheists Italian atheists