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Jimmy FontanaPopular Italian pop singer and musician
Date of Birth: 13.11.1934
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Jimmy Fontana: Biography of an Italian Pop Singer
Jimmy Fontana, whose real name was Enrico Sbriccoli, was a popular Italian pop singer and musician. He gained the most recognition as the author of the songs "Che sarà," "Non te ne andare," and "Il mondo," which have become classics of Italian pop music in the 1960s and are still among the most well-known musical compositions in the Italian language today.
Early Life and Career
Jimmy Fontana was born on November 13, 1934, in Camerino, Macerata, Italy. From a young age, he had a passion for music and began his career in his adulthood. Hoping to someday make it onto the international stage, he decided to perform under the pseudonym Jimmy Fontana. The first part of his pseudonym was in honor of Jimmy Giuffre, a popular American clarinetist and saxophonist considered one of the most important musicians and composers of the 20th century. As for the choice of his surname, it was a random occurrence. Jimmy saw it in a phone directory and thought it would sound good with the first part of his pseudonym.
Music Career
In 1963, Jimmy wrote the song "Non te ne andare," which quickly became a hit in Italy and brought him national recognition. Just two years later, in 1965, Fontana released the composition "Il mondo," which topped the Italian charts within the first few weeks of its release. His next work, "La mia serenata," won an award at the "Un disco per l'estate" festival, which at the time was a contest for young musicians rather than the popular television show it later became. Around the same time, Jimmy Fontana performed the song "La nostra favola," which was a cover version of Tom Jones' hit "Delilah."
However, Jimmy Fontana achieved the greatest fame with the song "Che sarà," first performed in 1971. Fontana composed the music for the song, while Franco Migliacci wrote the lyrics. The melancholic ballad about the musician bidding farewell to his hometown was initially sung by José Feliciano, for whom it marked the beginning of a long and successful career in the Italian music scene. After its success in Italy and Spain, "Che sarà" began to be performed internationally and was soon released as a separate album, along with other Italian hits, frequently including "Il mondo." Overall, "Che sarà" reached the charts in 11 countries, including Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, where it was released in English, as well as Puerto Rico and Argentina, where it was performed in Spanish.
Later Career
Following the success of his musical works, Jimmy Fontana became interested in filmmaking. He appeared in a total of six films and actively collaborated with directors by composing music for films. However, Fontana did not achieve significant popularity in the world of cinema.
In 1996, almost 30 years after his last appearance on stage, Jimmy released the album "Arrivederci." Over the following years, he released two more works: "Il Mondo" and "I Grandi Successi Originali."
On September 11, 2013, news of Jimmy Fontana's death at the age of 78 was reported in newspapers. Soon after, the musician's family confirmed this information.
