Toto Cutugno

Toto Cutugno
Background information
Birth name	Salvatore Cutugno
Born	7 July 1943
Origin	Fosdinovo, Italy
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter
Instruments	Voice, Piano, Acoustic guitar, Drums, Saxophone, Melodica
Years active	1970–present
Associated acts	Albatros

Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtɔːto kuˈtuɲɲo]; born 7 July 1943) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. Cutugno may be best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", which was on his hit CD, I Grandi Successi.^[1] He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, as with a previous Eurovision winner Johnny Logan he was author of both lyrics and music.

Biography

Toto Cutugno was born in Fosdinovo to a Sicilian father from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and a homemaker mother.^[2] Shortly after his birth the family moved to La Spezia (Liguria).

He began his musical career as a drummer, but later formed a band that performed his own songs. He also had cowritten for popular French-American singer Joe Dassin, contributing some of his most famous songs, including "L'été indien" ("Africa"), "Et si tu n'existais pas" and "Le Jardin du Luxembourg" (written with Vito Pallavicini).^[3] He also co-wrote Dalida's "Laissez moi danser" ("Voglio l'anima"), which became a Platinum record shortly after its release.

In 1976, Cutugno participated for the first time in the Sanremo Music Festival coming up with third place with his band Albatros with the song, Volo 504. He then won in 1980 with the song "Solo noi", and subsequently finished second in six editions: in 1984 with the song "Serenata" ("Serenade"), in 1987 with "Figli" ("Sons" or "Children"), in 1988 with "Emozioni" ("Emotions"), in 1989 with the song "Le mamme" ("Mothers"), in 1990 with Ray Charles with the song "Gli amori" ("Loves", but entitled "Good Love Gone Bad" in Charles' version) and in 2005 with Annalisa Minetti with the song "Come noi nessuno al mondo" ("No One Else in the World Like Us"). Toto Cutugno participated in the festival a total of 13 times.

However, Cutugno's iconic 1983 song "L'italiano" ("The Italian") revived Italian folklore with the song's lyrics and a melody that provided an affirmation of the typical Italian. It was initially intended for Adriano Celentano, who declined.

Cutugno is married to Carla Cutugno and has a son, Nicolo', born from another relationship.

He won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990 with his own composition "Insieme: 1992" ("Together: 1992"), a ballad which celebrated European political integration, and establishment of EU. Along with Gigliola Cinquetti, Italy's only other Eurovision winner from 1964, he presented the 1991 contest, which was staged in Rome as a result of his victory.

Discography

• Albatros (1976)
• Come ieri, come oggi, come sempre (1978)
• Voglio l'anima (1980)
• Innamorata, innamorato, innamorati (1981)
• La mia musica (1982)
• L'italiano (1983)
• Per amore o per gioco (1985)
• Azzura malinconia (1986)
• Mediterraneo (1987)
• Toto Cutugno (1990)
• Insieme 1992 (1990)
• Non è facile essere uomini (1992)
• Voglio andare a vivere in campagna (1995)
• Canzoni nascoste (1997)
• Il treno va (2002)
• Cantando (2004)
• Come noi nessuno al mondo (2005)
• Un falco chiuso in gabbia (2008)
• I Miei Sanremo (2010)

See also

• List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters

References

1. "Festival di Sanremo -L'Anno 1983". Festival.vivasanremo.com. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
2. Toto Cutugno Biography (Italian)
3. Toto Cutugno at AllMusic

External links

• Official website
• Toto Cutugno Spain Oficial (Idiomas: Español/Italiano/Inglés)
• Toto Cutugo Fanclub Romania
• Toto Cutugno at the Internet Movie Database
• "Insieme: 1992" lyrics with English translation
• MSN Group