883

Having known each other since school, vocalists Max Pezzali and Mauro Repetto launched a band after serving as regulars on the Italian television program 1,2,3 Jovanotti. Demo tapes cut in 1991 reached producer Claudio Cecchetto, whose earlier credits included that same show; he singled out “Non Me la Menare,” and its release as a single propelled the debut album Hanno Ucciso l’Uomo Ragno to the top of the Italian charts. The follow-up Nord Sud Ovest Est yielded two further number-one singles, “Sei un Mito” and “Come Mai.” Shortly after the third album La Donna, il Sogno & il Grande Incubo appeared, Repetto departed for a Hollywood career, prompting Pezzali to assemble a new, more live-focused backing ensemble. That lineup’s first effort, the 1997 release La Dura Legge del Gol!—the fourth album issued under the 883 name—again topped the Italian charts with the single “Un Giorno Così.” Pezzali next developed the feature film Jolly Blu, centered on the group and premiered in February 1998. Subsequent 883 projects included the greatest-hits collection Gli Anni, followed by Grazie Mille and Uno in Più, before Pezzali elected to disband the project and continue as a solo artist.