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Ricchi e Poveri

 
Artist: Ricchi e Poveri

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See Ricchi e Poveri Lyrics
  • Formed: 1967
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Parla Col Coure", "The Collection", "Che Sara: Best of Ricchi & Poveri
  • Representative Songs: "Mamma Maria", "Come Vorrei", "Sara Perche Ti Amo

Biography

Italy's Ricchi e Poveri (The Rich and the Poor) was formed as a vocal band in 1967 by Franco Gatti (born on October 4, 1945, in Genoa), Angela Brambati (born on October 20, 1949, in Genoa), Angelo Sotgiu (born on February 22, 1947, in Trinita d'Agultu), and Marina Occhiena (born on March 10, 1959, in Genoa). In 1970 and 1971, they won second prizes at the Sanremo festival with the songs "La Prima Cosa Bella" and "Che Sarà," becoming one of Italy's most popular groups. In the 1980s, after Occhiena had left the band, the remaining three shifted toward a more lightweight, dance-oriented music. One of Sanremo's regulars, Ricchi e Poveri finally won first prize in 1985 with "Se M'Innamoro." ~ Yuri German, All Music Guide
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Ricchi e Poveri

A.Sotgiu, A.Brambati, F.Gatti (foto: Cristina Cava)
Background information
Origin Italy
Genres Pop
Years active 1967 —
Members
Franco Gatti, Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu
Former members
Marina Occhiena

Ricchi e Poveri is one of the most famous Italian pop music groups in Europe and Latin America. Active since the late 1960s, they have sold over 20 million records.

Contents

Formation and early success

The group was formed in 1967 by Franco Gatti (born October 4, 1942 in Genova), Angela Brambati (born October 20, 1947 in Genova), Angelo Sotgiu (born February 22, 1946 in Trinità d'Agultu e Vignola) and Marina Occhiena (born March 10, 1950 in Genova). Their first public appearance was in Cantagiro 1968 with "L'ultimo amore". Ricchi e Poveri has participated in Sanremo Music Festival several times since 1970. Ricchi e Poveri represented Italy in Eurovision Song Contest 1978 with song "Questo Amore" finishing 12th with 53 points. In 1981 Marina Occhiena left the group.

Ricchi e Poveri has recorded in Italian and Spanish and boasts some of the most popular Italian songs of the 80s and 90s such as "Mamma Maria", "Se m'innamoro", "Made in Italy", "M'innamoro di te" and many others. Their hit "Che sarà" has also been performed by José Feliciano and Jimmy Fontana.

Sarà perche ti amo, crossover success

The single Sarà perché ti amo became such a hit in Europe that a crossover version for Latin American countries was recorded with Spanish lyrics. The song, now titled Será porque te amo, also became a huge hit in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Many groups started covering the song adapting it to different genres, including tropical, dance, and various forms of Mexican folk music known as Grupera. The Latin boy band project Menudo (featuring Ricky Martin) and the Italo-Dance band Eu4ya also covered the song, but the lyrics were heavily altered: only the chorus line was kept in one verse and the rest was rearranged to make the song more appealing to teenagers.

As of 2007 the song is still being covered in all genres and it has achieved somewhat of a cult/nostalgia status in several Spanish-speaking countries as a symbol of a generation. The song was remade in 2008 by Diana Sorbello as Das ist, weil ich dich liebe.

Ricchi e Poveri held two massive concerts in Malta on the 12 and 13 June 2009. The band is still very popular in the Mediterranean island of Malta.

Discography (only LP albums, without the compilations)

  • I musicanti (1976)
  • Questo amore (1978)
  • La stagione dell'amore (1980)
  • E penso a te (1981)
  • Mamma Maria (1982)
  • Voulez vous danser (1983)
  • Dimmi quando (1985)
  • Pubblicita` (1987)
  • Una domenica con te (1990)
  • Allegro italiano (1992)
  • I grandi successi (1994) remakes+ new song
  • Parla col cuore (1998) remakes+4 new songs

Background

Their Song Mamma Maria was covered in German in 1982 by Conny & Jean. In 2003 Italian dance project Eu4ya covered the song Sara Perche Ti Amo and in 2008 was German schlager from Diana Sorbello released as Das ist, weil ich dich liebe. Their song Sarà perche ti amo was covered by the Danish pop duo Laban in 1983, with the title "Hvor skal vi sove i nat?"

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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ricchi e Poveri" Read more