Zucchero Fornaciari

Zucchero
OMRI
Zucchero at his 2023 World Wild Tour in Konstanz, Germany
Zucchero at his 2023 World Wild Tour in Konstanz, Germany
Background information
Birth nameAdelmo Fornaciari
Born (1955-09-25) 25 September 1955 (age 68)[1]
OriginRoncocesi,[1] Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • bass
  • drums
Years active1970–present
Labels
Websitewww.zucchero.it

Adelmo Fornaciari Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI[2] (Italian: [aˈdɛlmo fornaˈtʃaːri]; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (Italian: [ˈdzukkero, ˈtsuk-]), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teacher used to call him.[3][4] His music is largely inspired by gospel, soul, blues and rock music, and alternates between Italian ballads and more rhythmic R&B-boogie-like pieces.[1] He is credited as the "father of Italian blues", introducing blues to the big stage in Italy.[1] He is one of the few European blues artists who still enjoys great international success.[1]

In his career, spanning four decades, Fornaciari has sold over 60 million records around the world,[5][6] and internationally his most successful singles are "Diamante", "Il Volo/My Love", "Baila (Sexy Thing)/Baila morena", and the duet "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" with Paul Young. He has won numerous awards, including four Festivalbar, nine Wind Music Awards, two World Music Awards (1993, 1996),[7] six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards,[8] and a Grammy Award nomination.[9] He has collaborated and performed with many famous artists, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brian May, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Billy Preston, John Lee Hooker, Scorpions, Sheryl Crow, Blues Brothers Band, Elvis Costello, Roland Orzabal, Joe Cocker, Sharon Corr, B. B. King, Sting, Buddy Guy, Bono, Bryan Adams, Mark Knopfler, Iggy Pop, Coldplay, Dolores O'Riordan, Paul Young, Peter Gabriel, Alejandro Sanz, Luciano Pavarotti, and Andrea Bocelli.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Dicaire, David (2001). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland. pp. 232–248. ISBN 9780786410354.
  2. ^ "Fornaciari Sig. Adelmo in arte Zucchero - Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" (in Italian). Presidenza della Repubblica. 6 February 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b Katz, Larry (13 August 1997). "Musicians love Zucchero". New Straits Times. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  4. ^ Monina, Michele (2014). Il grande libro del pop italiano [The big book of Italian Pop] (in Italian). Fanucci Editore. ISBN 9788834718933.
  5. ^ D'Orrico, Antonio (9 November 2011). "Zucchero: "Ecco il romanzo della mia vita"" [Zucchero: "Here's the novel of my life"]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  6. ^ Shugaar, Antony (23 April 2014). "Zucchero and Special Guests". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  7. ^ Bonomi, Ilaria; Coletti, Vittorio (2015). L'Italiano della musica nel mondo (in Italian). goWare & Accademia della Crusca. ISBN 9788867974252. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  8. ^ "IFPI". IFPI. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. ^ TC&C (17 January 2007). "Zucchero e' stato nominato ai Grammy Awards 2007". Musicalnews.com. Retrieved 14 August 2011.