Franco Simone

While enrolled in engineering studies at Rome's House of the Student, Italian singer/songwriter Franco Simone first pursued music by entering the Castrocaro talent festival in 1972. There he earned the Best Singer and Best Songwriter prizes, which led directly to his debut album Se Di Mezzo C'E' L'Amore, a collection of innovative pop ballads. He next appeared at San Remo's Festival in 1974 performing the song "Fiume Grande." Following the releases of Il Poeta Con la Chitarra in 1976 and Respiro in 1977, his recordings began charting across Europe and Latin America in Italian, French, and Spanish versions. In 2000, persuaded that artists must master technology to seize new opportunities, Franco Simone participated in the European multimedia forum Giving Rhythm to Europe to build agreement on technical advances in music. That same year composer Nikos Papakostas collaborated with him on Eliopolis -- La Citta' del Sole, after which the greatest-hits compilation Deseo appeared in 2001.