Lucio Battisti

Lucio Battisti is a legend of Italian pop culture. From the late 1960s through the mid-1980s, he released a stream of classic songs that defined 20th century Italian music. He was born in Poggio Bustone, Italy, on March 5, 1943, and began his artistic career by playing with local bands in Rome and Naples. After moving north to Milan, Battisti turned professional and joined the backing band of Italian crooner Tony Dallara. During this period, he began writing hit songs for artists like The Grass Roots and Amen Corner, although his own solo releases failed to make an impact on the Italian charts. Things changed after he made an appearance at the Sanremo Song Festival in 1969, and he subsequently teamed up with Italian lyricist Mogol to compose his chart-topping debut album, Lucio Battisti, which arrived that same year. More Number 1 records followed, along with a long string of Number 1 singles that included 1971's "Pensieri e parole," 1972's "Il mio canto libero," and 1978's "Una donna per amico." Although he stopped working with Mogol in the early 1980s, he launched a successful collaboration with a new lyricist: poet Pasquale Panella, with whom he returned to Number 1 with the album Don Giovanni in 1986. It was his first record to top the charts. Battisti died of cancer on September 9, 1998, four years after releasing his final album, Hegel. He remains a household name in Italy.