Americani in Italia playlist

Americans in Italy

During the 1960s, thanks to the Sanremo Festival but not only, many American artists tried their hand at singing in our language, and in this group were many Italian-American artists, children and grandchildren of the numerous waves of immigrants that carried many of our compatriots towards the hope of a better life in the United States of America, leaving behind the possibility of a lack of or scarcity of work in our country. For many of them, recording in Italian and coming to Italy to perform in radio and television broadcasts was an irresistible attraction, and willingly Connie Francis (Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), Frankie Avalon (Francis Thomas Avallone), Joe Damiano (Giuseppe De Angelis), Frankie Laine (Francesco Paolo LoVecchio), Timi Yuro (Rosemarie Timotea Aurro) leapt at the chance to sing in Italian and have a pleasant homecoming in the land of their grandparents and parents. But the charm of the Bel Paese did not fail to seduce other very famous singers, from Neil Sedaka to Paul Anka, Gene Pitney, Dionne Warwick, the Minstrels, the Sandpipers and Ben E. King. There were also more than a few black performers such as Stevie Wonder and the Supremes, connected to the Tamla Motown label in Detroit, who helped spread rhythm & blues in Italy with the covers of their American hits.