Edoardo Bennato

After relocating from Naples to Milan at the age of eighteen to study architecture, Italian musician Edoardo Bennato entered the music world in the early 1970s. His debut album Non Farti Cadere Le Braccia came out in 1973 with production by Sandro Colombini, followed by I Buoni E I Cattivi in 1974 and Lo Che Non Sono L'imperatore in 1975. In 1977 Edoardo Bennato became the first Italian artist to create video clips, launching the format with “Il Grillo Parlante,” “La Fata,” and “Mangiafuoco” from the album Il Gatto E La Volpe, which draws on Pinoccio’s fable. By staging a concert at San Paolo stadium in June 1978, the performer inaugurated a new era of large-scale music events in Naples. The 1987 appearance at New York’s Apollo theater was issued as the live recording Edoardo Live. In 1990 the artist teamed with singer Gianna Nannini on the track “Un’ Estate Italiana” (An Italian Summer), which took its cue from the global soccer championship.