Nino D'Angelo

Nino D'Angelo, born Gaetano D'Angelo on June 21, 1957, ranks as the most prominent pop figure to emerge from Naples since the 1980s. Raised in poverty on the city's outskirts, he abandoned formal education early and held a series of jobs ranging from ice cream vendor to wedding singer. Local audiences quickly praised his vocal ability, leading his family to fund his debut single "A' Storia Mia" in 1976. Initially sold door to door by D'Angelo and his companions, the record exceeded expectations and was adapted into a sceneggiata, simultaneously launching his careers in acting and singing. His discs and stage productions rapidly turned him into a sensation among Southern Italian listeners, while his trademark blonde moptop haircut made his image immediately familiar. Beginning in 1981 with Celebrità, he headlined numerous films built around his persona, typically romantic melodramas tracing a poor boy's rise to singing fame. Nationwide recognition arrived with the 1982 album Nu' Jeans e Na' Maglietta, which surpassed one million copies sold. The low-budget musical drama film of the same name outperformed Flashdance at the Italian box office that year. His prominence continued to grow through the 1980s. At the 1986 Sanremo Music Festival his entry "Vai" outsold most competitors, even as critics, especially those from Northern Italy, overlooked the performance. Italian immigrant communities in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States also embraced him through frequent tours, yet he repeatedly underscored his Neapolitan roots as the core of both his music and personal identity. That status reached full expression in 1987 when he wrote "Napoli, Napoli" for the local soccer club. A perennial underdog with one of Europe's most devoted fan bases, the team, inspired by Diego Maradona, captured the city's first Italian championship that season; supporters adopted his song as the campaign's unofficial anthem, a role it has retained with continued performances at matches. The deaths of his parents in 1991 affected D'Angelo profoundly. Following a period of depression he reappeared with a more mature image and musical focus. No longer content to be seen as a commercial product or a kitsch emblem of the South, he began taking artistic chances and composing more introspective material. The 1993 album Tiempo marked a turning point that finally earned critical respect. His score for Roberta Torre's 1997 controversial film Tano da Morire received the David de Donatello award for best original soundtrack, Italy's equivalent of the Oscar. Further ventures included the successful musical Core Pazzo, the autobiography L'Ignorante Intelligent, and his role as artistic director of Naples' Trianon Viviani theater. Although he stated in 2005 that he would stop writing new songs, the 2007 album Gioia Nova, said to be inspired by his granddaughter's birth, entered the charts at number 23. As of 2007 he had issued 35 albums and appeared in 25 films. Married since 1979 to Annamaria, he has two children.