Performer ushered Italy into the rock ‘n roll era
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| Peppino di Capri was dubbed the 'Buddy Holly of Italy' |
A hugely successful singer, songwriter and pianist in Italy and throughout Europe, Di Capri, affectionately known as the Italian Buddy Holly, has had many international hits.
He began singing and playing the piano, by instinct, at the age of four, following in his father’s footsteps, and he provided entertainment for the American troops stationed on Capri during World War II. His father owned a record shop and also sold musical instruments.
Di Capri studied classical music for five years until he discovered rock music in the 1950s. He recorded his first album in 1958 with his band, The Rockers, including some Neapolitan songs, and he had instant success.
For the next few years, Di Capri recorded some of his biggest hits, such as Voce e Notte, Luna Caprese, Let’s Twist Again and Roberta. He introduced the twist to Italy with his song, St Tropez Twist.
In 1965 he was the opening act at the concerts of The Beatles, during the only Italian tour they ever made, and he then went on to found his own record label and recording studio.
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| Peppino di Capri has been singing for more than 60 years |
In 1998, Di Capri celebrated his first 40 years in the music business with a show in the famous Piazzetta of Capri, which was broadcast on Rai Uno, the national TV station.
Since 2003, Di Capri has recorded several albums, including some of his best songs and some traditional Neapolitan songs. He topped the charts with a collection of his songs in 2009 and later launched a DVD set with a live concert at the Parco della Musica in Rome.
In 2013, Di Capri toured theatres with a concert, in which the orchestra was conducted by his son, Edoardo. He toured Brazil in 2015 and then appeared in the comedy film, Natale col Boss, playing the role of a mob boss.
In 2018, Di Capri celebrated the first 60 years of his singing career with a concert at the oldest opera theatre in the world, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, which was sold out soon after the tickets went on sale.
Eternally youthful and popular, Di Capri celebrates his 82nd birthday today.
Travel tip:
Piazza Umberto I in Capri, better
known locally as La Piazzetta
Capri has been a popular resort since Roman times and the remains exist of a number of Imperial Roman villas. Although its first known tourist was a French antiques dealer who visited in the 17th century, recording his impressions in diaries, it was not until the 1950s that the island began to attract visitors in anything like the numbers of today. Tourists arrive at the island by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and other ports around the Gulf of Naples. Attractions include the Blue Grotto, the picturesque Marina Piccola, the limestone Faraglioni sea stacks, and the towns of Capri and Anacapri.
Travel tip:
The Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, opened
in 1737, predates even La Scala in Milan
Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, where Di Capri celebrated 60 years in the music business, is in Via San Carlo close to Piazza Plebiscito, the main square in Naples. The theatre was designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano for the Bourbon King of Naples, Charles I, and opened in 1737, some 41 years before Teatro alla Scala in Milan and 55 years before La Fenice in Venice. San Carlo is now believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, functioning opera houses in the world. Both Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini served as artistic directors at San Carlo and the world premieres of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Rossini’s Mosè were performed there.
Also on this day:
1835: The birth of Nobel prize-winning poet Giosuè Carducci
1915: The birth of tenor Mario Del Monaco
1922: The birth of actor and director Adolfo Celi