Zucchero
Zucchero live at Skanderborg Festival, Denmark, August 2007. The Skanderborg festival is an annual Music festival held during the second weekend of August
Background information
Birth name	Adelmo Fornaciari
Born	September 25, 1955 (1955-09-25) (age 52)
Origin	Reggio Emilia, Italy
Genre(s)	Pop rock Soul/Blues Adult Contemporary
Years active	1970–present
Label(s)	Polydor/Universal Music Group
Website	www.zucchero.it

Adelmo Fornaciari (born September 25, 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero, is an Italian rock singer. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) For the city in the southern Italy See Reggio Calabria. For the basketball club "Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia" see Pallacanestro Reggiana. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Zucchero is not to be confused with the "self proclaimed" legend of Juan Zucchero who resides in Rockland County, NY. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces. Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano

Personal Life

Adelmo Fornaciari was born in a Reggio Emilia (in a parish, frazione in Italian, named Roncocesi), Emilia-Romagna, though he spent most of his childhood in the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi (Province of Lucca, Tuscany). For the city in the southern Italy See Reggio Calabria. For the basketball club "Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia" see Pallacanestro Reggiana. A parish as an Administrative division of several countries. In England and in one American state ( Louisiana) it is sometimes called A frazione, in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a Comune; for other Administrative Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Bologna. Forte dei Marmi is a sea town and Comune in the Province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany ( Italy) Lucca ( Provincia di Lucca) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3

Pseudonym

His pseudonym "Zucchero", meaning 'sugar', has been his nickname from a very young age, and was given to him by an elementary school teacher who said he was as sweet as sugar, calling him "marmellata e zucchero" – 'jam and sugar'. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias)

Career

Early career and success in Italy

His musical career began in 1970, with several lowly bands such as I ducali, Le nuove luci, Sugar & Daniel, Sugar & Candies and finally with a band named Taxi, with whom he won the Castrocaro music festival in 1981. He made his first appearance in the famous Sanremo festival next year with the songs "Una notte che vola via" and in 1983 with "Nuvola" at Festival dei Fiori. The Festival della canzone italiana (in English Italian song festival) is a popular Italian song contest running since 1951 and held annually in the city of Sanremo His first album, Un po' di Zucchero, was released the same year with moderate success.

In 1984 Zucchero temporarily moved to California, where he collaborated for the first time with Italian producer Corrado Rustici. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The result of these sessions, with a backing band that included bassist Randy Jackson, was the 1985 album Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, of which the single "Donne" became a huge hit in Italy. Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson (born June 23 1956 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is best known as a judge on American Idol; he is After the relative success of Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, Zucchero and Rustici again gathered in California to work on a follow-up. Rispetto, which included several hit singles including the titletrack and "Come il sole all'improvviso", combined the Italo-pop sound of Zucchero's earlier albums, with a more American soul sound.

Although Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band and Rispetto had been commercially successful, it was the 1988 album Blue's that went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history, and made Zucchero a household name in Italy, and the rest of Europe. The album, again produced by Rustici and featuring musical performances by Clarence Clemons, The Memphis Horns and David Sancious, included the Italian hit singles "Con Le Mani" (with lyrics by Gino Paoli), the controversial "Solo una sana. Clarence Clemons (born January 11, 1942) is an American Musician, best known as the Saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen 's The Memphis Horns are an American Horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. David Sancious (born November 30, 1953 in Asbury Park New Jersey) is an American Musician. Gino Paoli (born 23 September, 1934) is an Italian Singer-songwriter. . . ", and the original version of "Senza una Donna". During the following Blue's Tour Zucchero shared the stage with Joe Cocker (for a cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends"), Ray Charles and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Joe Cocker OBE (born 20 May 1944 is an English rock / Blues Singer who came to popularity in the 1960s and is most known for his gritty " With a Little Help from My Friends " (originally titled A Little Help from My Friends) is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Dee Dee Bridgewater (born May 27, 1950) is an American Jazz Singer.

In 1989 Zucchero and his band recorded the album Oro incenso e birra in Memphis. Oro incenso e birra is an Album released by Zucchero in 1989. The album, which is greatly influenced by American soul music, included guest appearances by Eric Clapton, and blues singer Rufus Thomas, while Zucchero's band by that time includes former E-Street Band member David Sancious. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Rufus Thomas Jr ( March 26 1917 – December 15 2001) was a Rhythm and blues, Funk and soul singer and The E Street Band is a musical group that has periodically toured and recorded with Rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972 David Sancious (born November 30, 1953 in Asbury Park New Jersey) is an American Musician. Oro, incenso e birra still stands as one of Zucchero's most successful albums, outselling even Blue's and includes the Italian hit singles "Diamante", "Overdose (d'Amore)", "Il Mare" and "Wonderful World".

International Success

Zucchero on the cover of Fly, his latest studio album.

After the million selling success of Blue's and Oro incenso e birra in Italy, and his collaborations with Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton and Miles Davis, Zucchero from 1990 on attempted to conquer the rest of Europe. Joe Cocker OBE (born 20 May 1944 is an English rock / Blues Singer who came to popularity in the 1960s and is most known for his gritty Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. The album Blue’s was released the following year in the United Kingdom, and in 1990 Zucchero Sings his Hits in English, an album that featured songs from the Blue's and Oro incenso e birra albums, some of which translated to English by Frank Musker, was released worldwide. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Zucchero's best known hit "Senza una donna" ("Without a Woman"), in a duet with Paul Young, is from this album. " Senza una Donna " (Without a Woman is a 1987 song written and performed by Zucchero Fornaciari and rerecorded in 1991 with Paul Young. A duet is a Musical composition or piece for two Performers In Classical music the term is most often used for a composition for two singers Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English pop musician The first pressing of the album didn't feature the duet: the song was performed by Zucchero only. The duet was a great success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in European charts. Other European hit singles from this album include English versions of "Diamante" (of which the original Italian lyrics were written by Francesco De Gregori, and "Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton). Francesco De Gregori (born April 4, 1951) is a renowned Italian Singer-songwriter and maker of organic olive oil called "Le Palombe" Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Diamante was later released as a duet with Randy Crawford, a variant not available on any album until the special edition of Zu & Co.

Between 1991 and 1993 Zucchero continued duetting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, a young Andrea Bocelli, Peter Maffay, Elton John, Brian May and Eric Clapton. Randy Crawford (born Veronica Crawford February 18 1952, in Macon Georgia) is an American Jazz and R&B Singer. Zu & Co is a compilation of songs mostly written by Italian rock singer Zucchero. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12, Andrea Bocelli, Grande Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana OMRI (born 22 September 1958 is an Italian Operatic pop Tenor Peter Maffay (born August 30, 1949 in the Romanian town of Braşov, Kronstadt; real name Peter Alexander Makkay) is a German Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Brian Harold May, CBE Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation Zu & Co. (2004). 1992 saw Zucchero perform at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with the remaining three members of Queen, singing "Las Palabras de Amor". The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, April 20 1992 at Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love is a song by English Rock band Queen. 1991 also saw the release of Zucchero's first live album Live at the Kremlin, recorded in Moscow and featuring guest appearances by Randy Crawford (on John Lennon's "Imagine") and Toni Childs. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born " Imagine " is a song by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album Imagine. At the age of 15 Childs ran away from home and became a Blues musician

In 1992 Zucchero released the album Miserere. Miserere is an Album released by Zucchero in 1992. It is Zucchero's 7th studio album Again produced by Corrado Rustici, it was a much darker album than Zucchero's previous works, which was made clear by the title track, a duet with Luciano Pavarotti. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12, Elvis Costello wrote the lyrics to the track "Miss Mary", U2's Bono was responsible for the English version of the title track and Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile provided two sets of English lyrics. Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry Paul Buchanan (born October 23, 1981] in Newcastle England) is a professional boxer, fighting out of West Denton The Blue Nile is an adult alternative / pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. On the album and during the tour, Zucchero was accompanied by former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. Michael Shrieve (born July 6 1949, in San Francisco) is a US The album Diamante was released in Mexico and other Latin American countries in 1994, and was an attempt to use the same method of Zucchero sings his hits in English for the Spanish and Latin American market, also in 1994 Zucchero was the only European artist to perform at the 25th anniversary edition of the Woodstock festival.

The 1995 album Spirito DiVino, that included the smash European hits "Il Volo", "Papa perché?" and "X colpa di chi", is one of Zucchero's most successful up to date: selling over 3 million copies in Europe alone and ending up on the first place in the Italian year charts, the album proved a huge commercial success. On the album Zucchero adds a certain New Orleans blues feeling to his music (especially on songs like "Voodoo Voodoo") and is accompanied by musicians such as David Sancious, Jeff Beck (on "Papa Perché?"), Sheila E. (on "Alleluja", written with Italian rapper Jovanotti) and former Chuck Berry pianist Johnny Johnson. David Sancious (born November 30, 1953 in Asbury Park New Jersey) is an American Musician. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Sheila Escovedo (born December 12 1957, in Oakland California) known by her Stage name Sheila E Jovanotti (often misspelt as Giovanotti) is an Italian Singer-songwriter and Rapper. Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St

The compilation The Best of Zucchero "sugar" Fornaciari´s greatest hits was released in 1996, shooting into all European charts, and up to the number one position in France and Italy. The CD, released in an Italian and an English version, contained 13 of Zucchero's greatest hits (excluding the Miserere period) and three new songs including the hit single "Menta e rosmarino" ("I feel so lonely tonight"). During the sold out tour Zucchero sang with Buddy Guy in Milan, and played "My Love" (the English version of "Il Volo") and "Un piccolo aiuto" (together with Eric Clapton) during the ´96 Pavarotti and Friends show. George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning American Blues and rock Guitarist Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer The Best of-tour also brought Zucchero to the US for the first time playing to sold out clubs in New York and LA.

On the 1998 album Bluesugar Zucchero moved from Spirito DiVino´s New Orleans feeling to a more English rock style. The CD was produced by Corrado Rustici and the band included Santana bassist Benny Rietveld and bluesharp player Mark Feltham. Steve Winwood played Hammond on two songs and U2's Bono wrote the lyrics to the English version of "Blu". Stephen Lawrence "Steve" or "Stevie" Winwood (born 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English Singer-songwriter The CD went on to sell over 1 million copies in several months.

Following a lengthy tour to promote Bluesugar, Zucchero took some time off to work on new music and reappeared in the summer of 2001 with the smash European single "Baila Morena". Shake, the album that followed two months later, was again produced by Corrado Rustici, ended up being one of the fastest selling Zucchero albums ever (2 million in Europe in 10 months). On the album blues god John Lee Hooker appears on the ballad "Ali D´Oro", his last recording before his death in June 2001. John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer In 2002 and 2003 Zucchero and his band toured throughout Europe and Canada with the Shake tour.

The spring of 2004 saw the release of the duet album Zu & Co.. Zu & Co is a compilation of songs mostly written by Italian rock singer Zucchero. On the album, which had been sixteen years in the making, Zucchero duets with international stars such as Sting, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Maná, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton and Solomon Burke. STING ( S equence T o and with' IN' G raphics is a free Web-based suite of programs for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between protein sequence B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Maná is a popular Mexican pop/rock band from Guadalajara whose career has spanned almost three decades Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Solomon Burke (born March 21 1940) is an American Grammy Award -winning Singer / Songwriter. On May 6, 2004 the album was presented during a concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, where many of the album's gueststars appeared to perform with Zucchero. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known Zu & Co. , and its American 2005 counterpart Zucchero & Co which was released on the Starbucks Hear Music label, became huge hits. Starbucks Corporation ( is an international Coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington. In July 2005, Zucchero took part in the Live 8 concerts in both Rome and Paris. Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

In September 2006 his latest album, entitled Fly, was released. Fly is an Album released by Zucchero in 2006 It is Zucchero's 11th studio album Produced by Don Was, it includes the European hit singles "Bacco perbacco", "Cuba libre", "Occhi", and "Un Kilo", and features collaborations with artists such as Ivano Fossati and Jovanotti. Don Was (born Don Fagenson; September 13, 1952) is an American Musician, bassist and Record producer. Ivano Alberto Fossati (born September 21 1951) is an Italian pop Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, Pianist, and Jovanotti (often misspelt as Giovanotti) is an Italian Singer-songwriter and Rapper. The album's track "L'amore è nell'aria" ("Love Is In The Air"), borrows the instrumental backing to the b-side "Broken" by UK rock band Feeder, but it is a new recording based on the Feeder original rather than a sample taken directly from the recording. Feeder are a British rock band formed in Newport, South Wales in 1992 by singer /songwriter/ Guitarist Grant Nicholas The FLY tour, kicking off in May in Paris, France, has included dates in most European countries, as well as the U. S. (including a show in Carnegie Hall in New York), and Latin America. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

In November 2007 Zucchero will release a new compilation album with several new tracks, including a cover of Black's "Wonderful Life". Black is the musical vehicle for Singer/songwriter Colin Vearncombe (b Several European tourdates have already been announced for the spring of 2008.

Selected discography

• Un po' di Zucchero (1983)
• Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band (1985)
• Rispetto (1986)
• Blue's (1987, EP Album)
• Snack Bar Budapest (1988, movie soundtrack)
• Oro incenso e birra (1989)
• Zucchero sings his hits in English (1990)
• Zucchero (1991)
• Zucchero Live at the Kremlin (1991)
• Miserere (1992)
• Diamante (1994)
• Spirito DiVino (1995)
• The best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's greatest hits (1997)
• Bluesugar (1998)
• Overdose d'amore the ballads (1999)
• Bluesugar & Whitechristmas (1999)
• Shake (2001)
• Zu & Co. (2004)
• Zu & Co live at the Royal Albert Hall - May 6, 2004 (2004)
• Zucchero & Co - American edition (2005) #84 US
• Zu & Co ultimate duets collection (2 CDs + DVD, 2005)
• Fly (2006)
• All The Best (2007)

Singles

Other Singles

• 2008 - I Won't Let You Down (#50 Poland , #49 Italy)

External links

• Official website (requires Adobe Flash) (English)
• Un po' di Zucchero
• An American website
• Biography of Zucchero, from RAI International
• Zucchero at the Internet Movie Database
• Come Back the Sun
• Zucchero, VH1 Listing