View source for Umberto Tozzi

{{Short description|Italian musician (born 1952)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Expand Italian|topic=bio|Umberto Tozzi|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Umberto Tozzi Wiener Stadtfest 2014 08 (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Tozzi performing in 2014
| name              = Umberto Tozzi
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Umberto Antonio Tozzi
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1952|3|4}}<br>[[Turin]], [[Piedmont]], Italy
| origin            = 
| genre             = {{flatlist|
*[[Pop music|Pop]]
*[[Rock music|rock]]
*[[italo disco]]
}}
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
*Vocals
*keyboard
*guitar
}}
| associated_acts   = Off Sound, [[Laura Branigan]]
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
*Singer
*songwriter
*composer
*record producer
}}
| years_active      = 1968–present
| label             = 
| website           = {{url|umbertotozzi.com}}
}}

'''Umberto Antonio Tozzi''' ({{IPA|it|umˈbɛrto anˈtɔːnjo ˈtɔttsi|pron}}; born 4 March 1952) is an Italian [[Pop music|pop]] and [[Rock music|rock]] singer and songwriter. Throughout his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally. His biggest international hits are:
"[[Stella Stai]]", "[[Gloria (Umberto Tozzi song)|Gloria]]",<ref>{{YouTube|KTM_qG_NPC8|Video of Tozzi singing his original "Gloria"}}</ref> "[[Tu (Umberto Tozzi song)|Tu]]" and "[[Ti amo|Ti Amo]]".

==Biography==
Tozzi was born on 4 March 1952 in [[Turin]], [[Italy]]. He is the second son of Nicola Tozzi, a police officer originally from [[Vico del Gargano]], and Immacolata from [[Montesarchio]]. They immigrated to [[Turin]] in 1945.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2024-01-30 |author=Gianluigi Cutillo |date=2023-03-04 |language=it-IT |title=Tanti auguri a Umberto Tozzi, da Gloria a Ti Amo: il papà nacque a Vico |url=https://www.statoquotidiano.it/04/03/2023/tanti-auguri-a-umberto-tozzi-da-gloria-a-ti-amo-il-papa-nacque-a-vico/981301/ |website=Stato Quotidiano (testata giornalistica online di [[Manfredonia]])}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

In 1968, at the age of 16, Umberto Tozzi joined 'Off Sound', one of the many groups that performed in small venues around Turin. In [[Milan]], he met [[Adriano Pappalardo]], with whom he formed a 13-piece band and began a large-scale Italian tour.

In 1974, Tozzi had his first success as a songwriter, with the song "Un Corpo, un'anima" ("One Body, One Soul"), co-written with Damiano Dattoli and performed by [[Wess]] and [[Dori Ghezzi]]. It appeared on ''[[Canzonissima]]'', an Italian music programme running from 1956 to 1974.

In 1976, he released his first album, ''Donna Amante Mia'' ("Woman, My Lover"), which contained the single "Io Camminerò" ("I Will Walk"), which was sung with great success by [[Fausto Leali]]. In 1977, "[[Ti Amo]]", one of Tozzi's most famous songs, was released. It stayed at number one on the Italian song charts for seven months and went on to become an international success throughout continental Europe. It also achieved decent success in the Americas and Australia, primarily in [[nightclub]]s. The single was awarded a gold record award in Australia, despite the fact that it only made number 25 on the [[ARIA Charts|charts]] there in late 1979.<ref>[[Kent Music Report]], 1980</ref> In 1978 he released ''Tu'', another hit in Italy, and held an Australian tour, which was organized by the Italo-Australian promoter Duane Zigliotto and concluded at the [[Sydney Opera House]] with two full house concerts.

The following year Tozzi recorded one of his most famous songs, "[[Gloria (Umberto Tozzi song)|Gloria]]", which became a major hit in Italy in 1979 and 1980. [[Jonathan King]] wrote English lyrics for the song, which became popular in the UK as well in 1979, and was sung and recorded by the English singer [[Elkie Brooks]] in 1980. A cover version of the song by the American singer [[Laura Branigan]] in 1982 caused the song to grow in popularity in the US as well. Branigan worked with the arranger and keyboardist of Tozzi's own version, Greg Mathieson, to give the song what she called "an American kick."<ref>[http://www.laurabraniganonline.com/images/lvsuncolumn_030703.pdf An American kick]</ref> The song reached the top of the charts, reached gold and platinum status in several countries, and stayed on the [[Billboard Hot 100|US pop charts]] for 36 weeks.

By late 1980 he released "[[Stella Stai]]", another one of his major hits. In the early 1980s, he released an album called ''Tozzi'', which he recorded at a concert with a band of American musicians, and was his first live recording. Soon after, the Latin Group [[Menudo (band)|Menudo]] recorded the Spanish version of "Stella Stai", entitled "Claridad", which made it one of the highest-selling records in the whole of [[Latin America]].

After a period of absence from the music scene, Tozzi returned in 1987 and won the [[Sanremo Music Festival 1987|Sanremo Music Festival]] with the song "[[Si Può Dare Di Più]]" ("More can be given"), which he sang with [[Gianni Morandi]] and [[Enrico Ruggeri]]. In 1987 he also released "[[Gente Di Mare]]" ("People of the Sea"), which he performed with [[Raffaele Riefoli|Raf]] at [[Eurovision Song Contest 1987|Eurovision]], and won third place. In 1988, Tozzi released his second live album, ''The Royal Albert Hall''.
[[File:Umberto Tozzi Wiener Stadtfest 2014 03.jpg|thumb|left|Tozzi in 2014]]
In the 1990s, Tozzi recorded several more songs such as "Gli Altri Siamo Noi" ("We Are the Others"), the album ''Equivocando'' ("Misunderstanding"), ''Il Grido'' ("The Outcry") and ''Aria e Cielo'' ("Air and Sky"). He also released a [[greatest hits]] compilation, ''Le Mie Canzoni'' ("My Songs").

In 2000 and 2005, he performed "Un'altra Vita" ("Another Life") and "Le Parole" ("The Words") at the [[Sanremo Music Festival]]. Between the two events, he also released a duet with the French singer Lena Ka of his classic "Ti Amo" as "Ti Amo (Rien Que des Mots)". Tozzi released another greatest hits compilation, a 2-disc set entitled ''The Best of'', and another single, "E Non Volo". In January 2009 he released the single "[[:it:Cerco ancora te|Cerco ancora te]]", composed by [[Emilio Munda]] and Matteo Gaggioli.

In 2013, his re-edited version of "Gloria", sung in its original Italian, was placed by [[Martin Scorsese]] onto the soundtrack of the 2014 [[87th Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominated blockbuster, ''[[The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)|The Wolf of Wall Street]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thefilmstage.com/reviews/review-the-wolf-of-wall-street/|title=&#91;Review&#93; the Wolf of Wall Street|date=18 December 2013}}</ref>

Throughout his career, Tozzi has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally.

==Discography==
;Studio albums
*1976 - ''Donna amante mia'' 
*1977 - ''E' nell'aria...ti amo'' 
*1978 - ''Tu'' 
*1979 - ''Gloria'' 
*1980 - ''Tozzi'' 
*1981 - ''Notte rosa'' 
*1982 - ''Eva'' 
*1984 - ''Hurrah!'' 
*1987 - ''Invisibile'' 
*1991 - ''Gli altri siamo noi'' 
*1994 - ''Equivocando''
*1996 - ''Il grido''
*1997 - ''Aria & cielo''
*2000 - ''Un'altra vita''
*2005 - ''Le parole''
*2006 - ''Heterogene''
*2012 - ''Yesterday, Today''
*2015 - ''Ma che spettacolo''
; Greatest hits albums
*1987 - ''Minuti di un'eternità'' 
*1989 - ''Nell'aria c'è''
*1991 - ''Le mie canzoni'' 
*1999 - ''Bagaglio a mano''
*2002 - ''The best of Umberto Tozzi''
*2006 - ''Tozzi Masini''
*2009 - ''Superstar''
*2013 - ''Collection:Umberto Tozzi''
*2018 - ''The best of Umberto Tozzi''
*2018 - ''Raf Tozzi''
;Live albums
*1980 - ''In concerto'' 
*1988 - ''Royal Albert Hall''
*2009 - ''Non solo live''
*2017 - ''Quarant'anni che ti amo''
*2017 - ''Quarant'anni che ti amo in Arena''
*2019 - ''Due, la nostra storia''

==Notes==
<references/>

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.umbertotozzi.com Official Umberto Tozzi website]
*[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=umberto tozzi|bio=true}} Biography of Umberto Tozzi], from [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]
*{{IMDb name | id=0870372 | name=Umberto Tozzi}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Eros Ramazzotti]]<br/>with "[[Adesso tu]]"
| title= [[Sanremo Music Festival]]<br>Winner
| years= [[Sanremo Music Festival 1987|1987]]
| after=  [[Massimo Ranieri]]<br/>with "[[Perdere l'amore]]"
}} 
{{succession box
| before=[[Al Bano and Romina Power]]
| title=[[Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
| years='''[[Eurovision Song Contest 1987|1987]]'''<br>(with [[Raffaele Riefoli|Raf]])
| after=[[Luca Barbarossa]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=collapsed}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1987|state=collapsed}}
{{List of Festivalbar winners}}
{{Sanremo Music Festival winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tozzi, Umberto}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Musicians from Turin]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sanremo Music Festival winners]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants]]
[[Category:Italian male singers]]
[[Category:Italian pop singers]]
[[Category:Spanish-language singers of Italy]]
[[Category:People of Apulian descent]]
[[Category:People of Campanian descent]]