I Camaleonti

I Camaleonti ("The Chameleons") are an Italian pop group from Milan, mostly successful between the late 1960s and the early 1970s.

Background

I Camaleonti were formed in 1963 in Milan. The original line-up included Livio Macchia (guitar), Antonino Cripezzi (keyboards), Paolo de Ceglie (drums) and Gerardo Manzoli (bass). In 1965 the band's line-up was augmented with the arrival of Riki Maiocchi on vocals and guitar. The band's first hit was called "Sha-La-La-La (La-La-La-La-La)", and coincided with the popularity of the beat genre.

In 1966, vocalist and guitarist Riki Maiocchi left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mario Lavezzi. With Lavezzi on board, the group gradually began to switch to a more melodic pop sound, soon achieving success with a modern rendition of a popular 1935 tune penned by Cesare Andrea Bixio and Michele Galdieri, "Portami tante rose".

Between 1968 and 1973 I Camaleonti had four singles topping the Italian charts, including "Applausi", "Io per lei" and "L'ora dell'amore". Between 1970 and 1993 they entered the Sanremo Music Festival five times, (the last time along with Dik Dik and Equipe 84's lead singer Maurizio Vandelli), finishing third in 1979 with "Quell'attimo in più". Despite numerous line-up changes. The band performed its final concert on 30 June 2025, with Livio Macchia and Dave Sumner, to celebrate the end of their career and the group's 60 years of activity.