Antonello Venditti

Classically influenced Italian pop star Antonio Venditti was born in Rome on March 8, 1949. Though he learned piano as a child, Venditti launched a singing career in the early 1970s, making his debut with fellow singer Francesco De Gregori on 1972’s Theorius Campus. He gained notice both for his rich voice, as well as the social and political topicality of his songwriting, elements that were not common among Italian singers of the time. A public and vocal supporter of Italy’s political left, he doubled down on the social commentary with 1973’s L’Orso Bruno and Le Cose della Vita, as well as 1974’s Quando Verrà Natale, which took on religious issues as well. His popularity and his success reached its greatest height with 1975’s Lilly, another collection of socially relevant songs like the anti-drug “Lilly”. Some fans began to push back against his political leanings, and he wrote about his conflicted feelings about celebrity on the 1978 album Sotto il sengo dei pesci. He formed his own record label in the early 80s and scored another hit throughout Europe with 1983’s “Grazie Roma”, a love letter to his favorite football team. His 1986 album Venditti e Segreti included the enduring track “Giulio Cesare”. He diminished the social commentary during his 90s work and he continued to enjoy the favor of critics, but for 2003’s Che fantastica storia è la vita, he recorded “Il Sosia”, a track that spoofed then Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi. He would continue to record and mount successful tours throughout the 21^st century, and appeared in the Oscar winning Italian film The Great Beauty in 2012.