Representative Albums: "A Portrait of Aldo Nova," "Aldo Nova," "The Best of Aldo Nova: Greatest Hits Series"
Representative Songs: "Fantasy," "Hot Love," "Always Be Mine"
Biography
Canadian guitarist Aldo Nova (born Aldo Caporuscio in Montreal) was a relatively late bloomer musically, not learning how to play the instrument until he was 15. However, inspired by the playing of Jimi Hendrix and with a keen interest in jazz, Nova worked obsessively to master the instrument (along with keyboards) and became a hometown hero in the local clubs. While playing George Harrison in a production of Beatlemania, he worked after hours as a studio engineer and a 1982 publishing deal led to his signing with Portrait Records. Given the luxury of producing himself, Nova's debut that summer contained songs that he had recorded over the previous several years. The self-titled release was a surprise success, selling over a million copies in the U.S. and reaching the Top Ten, driven by the blistering "Fantasy," which not only found favor at AOR stations, but, bolstered by MTV's support of the video, also peaked on the pop charts at number 25. When Nova issued the follow-up, Subject...Aldo Nova, a year later, there was increased emphasis on synthesizers and it featured more ballads, although the lone track to make inroads at radio was the anti-drug anthem "Monkey on Your Back," which was as heavy as anything on his debut. Despite that song receiving significant airplay on rock stations, the set's single, "Always Be Mine," was a commercial failure and Subject struggled to achieve gold status. Nova found himself in demand as a player and writer, though, during this period, working with artists such as Blue Öyster Cult, Michael Bolton, and Lita Ford. Pressured by his label to use outside writers and musicians (he had handled almost every aspect of his previous efforts), Twitch was virtually ignored upon its 1985 release, failing to chart and receiving little attention from radio. It would be six years before Nova returned with Blood on the Bricks, a record released on Jon Bon Jovi's Jambco imprint (Nova had appeared on his multi-platinum Young Guns II soundtrack). However, in the face of a changing musical landscape (grunge had made Nova's style of metal-pop less relevant), it too vanished quickly. Epic culled together the best of his first three releases, releasing a fine career overview with A Portrait of Aldo Nova in 1992 and Nova returned with Nova's Dream five years later. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide
Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced album, Aldo Nova, in 1981. It had two singles: "Fantasy" and "Foolin' Yourself". "Fantasy" made him what some would call a one hit wonder.[2] His next album, Subject...Aldo Nova had a minor hit with "Monkey on Your Back," but his solo career flagged and he became a player and songwriter for other bands. He worked with Jon Bon Jovi in both the early and late 1980s and produced some early Céline Dion albums. Nova co-wrote the hit song "A New Day Has Come" (among others) for Dion and has been featured playing guitar, synthesizer, and percussion on her records. He helped write and produce parts of Chantal Condor's 1989 album, Chantal. In 1991, Nova sought the help of Bon Jovi to revive his solo career on his release Blood on the Bricks, but it still only managed to chart at number 124.
As a songwriter, Nova's recent hits include Clay Aiken's "This is the Night" (co-written with Chris Braide and Gary Burr), which in the US was a number one hit and the best selling single of 2003. [3] His favourite place in the world is Anguilla B.W.I
