Umberto Balsamo | |
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Born | |
Occupation | singer-songwriter |
Rosario Umberto Balsamo, best known as Umberto Balsamo (born 10 March 1942) is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer.
Background
Born in Catania, Balsamo was the youngest of five brothers.[1] In 1964 he moved to Milan, where he started working together with the lyricist Luciano Beretta, composing songs for, among others, Iva Zanicchi and Orietta Berti.[1] In 1968 he made his debut as a singer with the song " Il mio cuore riposa", released under the pseudonym Bob Nero.[1] Balsamo obtained his first success in 1972 with the song "Se fossi diversa", which ranked nineteen in the Italian hit parade.[2] The following year he entered the competition at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Amore mio".[3] In 1977 he topped the hit parade with the song "L'angelo azzurro", selling over a million of copies[1][2][3] In 1979 he had one another major success with the song "Balla", a mixture of tarantella and disco music.[1][2][3] In the eighties Balsamo focused on composing, achieving a significant success with the 1988 song "Italia", sung by Mino Reitano at the Sanremo Music Festival.[1][3]
Discography
Singles
Year | Title | IT[2] |
---|---|---|
1971 | Piangerei | - |
1972 | Se fossi diversa | 19 |
1973 | Amore mio | 28 |
1974 | Bugiardi noi | 3 |
1974 | O prima o adesso o poi | 23 |
1975 | Natali | 34 |
1976 | Se | 16 |
1977 | L'angelo azzurro | 1 |
1978 | Crepuscolo | - |
1979 | Balla | 4 |
1980 | Il giorno | - |
1982 | Mai più | - |
1984 | Io vivrò | - |
1985 | Favole | - |
Studio albums
- 1974 Passato presente e futuro
- 1975 Natalì
- 1977 Malgrado tutto...l'angelo azzurro
- 1978 Crepuscolo d'amore
- 1979 Balla
- 1979 Auto Music
- 1980 Pianeti
- 1982 Mai più
- 1990 Respirando la notte luna
- 1992 Un pugno nella notte
- 2003 Vorrei aprire il cielo sabato sera a spina di rosa
Compilation albums
- 1989 L'angelo azzurro e altri successi
- 1995 Umberto Balsamo - Le sue più belle canzoni
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alessandro Dell'Orto (September 16, 2011). ""Per "Angelo azzurro" ho litigato con Mina"". Libero. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Dario Salvatori (1989). Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989. ISBN 8876054391.
- 1 2 3 4 Eddy Anselmi (2009). Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics, 2009. ISBN 978-8863462296.
External links
- Official website
- Umberto Balsamo at AllMusic
- Umberto Balsamo discography at Discogs