Riccardo Fogli

Riccardo Fogli (born 21 October 1947) is an Italian singer-songwriter.

Biography

Early career

Riccardo Fogli was born on 21 October 1947 in Pontedera. He was fond of music since his childhood and taught himself to play the electric bass guitar. At 14 years old he started working in the Piaggio factory.

In 1964, at the age of 17, Fogli joined the band The Slenders & Tony Rio. Two years later, in 1966, he became the lead singer of Pooh. In 1973, at the peak of popularity with the band, because of personal problems (the breakup of his marriage and a tempestuous relationship with singer Patty Pravo), he left Pooh and started his solo career.

In 1973, Fogli issued his first album Ciao amore come stai (Hello, Love, How Are You?), which was followed by his second album Riccardo Fogli in 1976; the song "Mondo" ("World") from this album became a hit.

1980s

The 1980s were a pinnacle of success for Riccardo Fogli. In this period, the lyrics of his songs became more philosophical and his singing manner became more emotional. In 1981, Fogli performed one of his most famous and lyrical song, "Malinconia" ("Melancholy"), and in 1982 he was the winner of the Festival di Sanremo with his other hit "Storie di tutti i giorni" ("Everyday Stories") His 1982 album Collezione (Collection) was issued in nearly a million copies in Western Europe, Japan and the USSR, where he became particularly popular.

Riccardo Fogli participated in Eurovision Song Contest with the entry "Per Lucia" ("For Lucia") in 1983; he finished in 11th place and received 41 points.