Without A Woman

Background:

Zucchero is an international well-known Italian singer and songwriter. Since making his debut in 1983, he has released over 20 albums, including the No. 1 hit records “Blue's” (1986), “Oro incenso e birra” (1989), “Miserere” (1992), “Spirito DiVino - Stray Cat In A Mad Dog City” (1995), “The Best Of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits” (1996), “BlueSugar” (1998), “Shake” (2001), “Fly” (2006), “All The Best” (2007) and “Chocabeck” (2010) and has sold over 40 million pieces worldwide. His popular singles include “Senza una Donna (Without A Woman)” (featuring Paul Young, 1991), “Miserere” (1992) and “Baila Morena/Baila (Sexy Thing)” (2001), to name a few. Zucchero has amassed a number of awards, including two World Music Awards, six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.

Currently, Zucchero resides in Pontremoli, Italy. He has two children with his ex-wife, Angela Figlié, and one child with his companion, Francesca Mozer.

Adelmo Fornaciari

Childhood and Family:

Adelmo Fornaciari was born on September 25, 1955, in Roncocesi, Reggio-Emilia, Italy. He, however, spent most his early years in Forte Dei Marmi. He was given the nickname Zucchero, the Italian word for sugar, by his elementary school teacher because he was so shy. He would later adopt the name as his stage name.

Adelmo was once married to Angela Figlié. The marriage produced two daughters, Alice (born in 1981) and Irene (born in 1983). Since 1992, he has been in a relationship with Francesca Mozer, with whom he had one child, Adelmo Blue (born in 1999).

Blue's

Career:

Zucchero decided to pursue music after hearing an African American exchange student who worked in Bologna play Otis Redding's “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” During the 1970s, he toured Italy playing blues and soul covers with bands like Le Nuove Luci, Sugar & Daniel, and Sugar and Candies. In 1981, he played at the Castrocaro Music Festival along with his group Taxi, which led to performances at the Sanremo Festival in 1982 and 1983. Zucchero released his own solo debut album, “Un po' di Zucchero,” in 1983.

In 1984, Zucchero temporarily moved to San Francisco, California, to collaborate with guitarist Corrado Rustici, who had played with Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Clarence Clemons, and Sister Sledge. Along with Rustici and a backup band that included Randy Jackson, Zucchero recorded the album “Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band,” which was released in 1985. The album produced the hit “Donne” (1985), which peaked at No. 29 on the Italian Singles Chart. Zucchero and Rustici were reunited for “Rispetto” (1986), which made the Top 10 on the Italian Albums chart. The album yielded several hit singles, including “Come il sole all' improvviso” (featuring Gino Paoli), which charted at No. 24 in Italy, the title track “Rispetto,” and “Canzone triste (Canzone d'amore),” a No. 50 hit in Italy.

Still in 1986, Zucchero released his first No. 1 hit album, “Blue's,” which went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history and made the singer a household name in Italy and much of Europe. Again produced by Rustici and featuring musical performances by Clarence Clemons, The Memphis Horns and David Sancious, the album scored a string of hit singles, including “Con le mani” (#27), “Dunne Mosse,” “Pippo” “Solo una sana consapevole libidine salva il giovane dallo stress e dall´azione Cattolica” and the original version of “Senza una Donna,” which rose to No. 17 in Italy. The album was supported by a successful tour, during which time Zucchero was accompanied on stage by Corrado Rustici, Luciano Luisi and Lisa Hunt. Special guests in his shows were Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

“Snack Bar Budapest” was launched in 1987 as the soundtrack to the Italian film of the same name by Tonto Brass. The album, which he recorded with David Sanscious, peaked at No. 14 on the Italian Albums chart. Zucchero, however, did not gain another massive success until he released “Oro incenso e birra” (1989), which he recorded in Memphis with his band. The album, featuring guest appearances by Eric Clapton and blues singer Rufus Thomas, topped the Italian and Switzerland Albums charts. It also charted at No. 17 in France and No. 50 in Sweden. “Oro incenso e birra” became the best selling album internationally by an Italian prior to Andrea Bocelli's “Romanza” (1997). It includes the hit singles “Diamante,” “Overdose (d'Amore),” “Il Mare” and “Wonderful World.”

In 1990, Zucchero released a special version of “Oro incenso e birra.” The same year, he also emerged as a supporting act at the 1990 Eric Clapton European tour. “Zucchero,” a selection of his earlier songs, followed in 1991. It generated the international duet hit “Senza una donna (Without a Woman),” which he sung with Paul Young. The song rose to No. 4 on the U.K. Single Chart and No. 2 on the German Singles Chart and the French Singles Chart. It also topped the charts of Italy, Norway, Belgium and Sweden. Later that same year, he released the live album “Zucchero Live at the Kremlin,” which was recorded during a concert in Russia with special guests Toni Childs and Randy Crawford.

Following his divorce from Angela Figlié in the early 1990s, Zucchero decided to travel for a while. He returned in 1992 with “Miserere,” which was released on Polydor Records and produced by Rustici. It was a No.1 hit in Italy and peaked at No. 8 in Switzerland. The title track “Miserere,” featuring Luciano Pavarotti, peaked at No. 2 on the Italian Singles Chart. In 1994, Zucchero released the album “Diamante” in Mexico and other Latin American countries. The same year, he also performed at the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock festival.

In 1995, Zucchero launched “Spirito DiVino -Stray Cat in a Mad Dog City,” which became his third No. 1 hit album in Italy. It also made the Top 10 in Switzerland and France and the Top 40 in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The album yielded the smash European hits “Il Volo,” “Papà Perché” and “X Colpa Di Chi?” The compilation album, “The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits,” followed in 1996. It peaked at No.1 in Italy, No. 2 in Switzerland, No. 4 in Belgium, No. 7 in Austria and No. 10 in Germany. He then toured the U.S. for the first time in support of the album.

In 1998, Zucchero returned with new material called “BlueSugar.” It was another No. 1 hit album in Italy. After an extended tour to promote the album, the singer took a break to work on new music and resurfaced in 2001 with the hit single “Baila morena.” The song went to No. 1 on the Italian Singles chart, but only enjoyed average success in other countries. Later, in 2006, Zucchero rerecorded the song with the band Maná for the soundtrack of the film “Les Bronzés 3: Amis pour la vie.” It went on to become a hit in France (#1) and Belgium (#3). The album “Shake” was also released in 2001. It topped the albums charts in both Italy and Switzerland. Between 2002- 2003, Zucchero released several singles, including “Dindondio,” “I'm In Trouble,” “Ali d'oro” (featuring John Lee Hooker) and “World” (featuring Anggun).

On May 14, 2004, Zucchero released the album “Zu & Co.,” which consisted of previous hits and two new songs, “Indaco Dagli occhi Del Cielo,” a cover of the Korgis song “Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime,” and “Il Grande Baboomb.” It peaked at No. 1 on the Italy Top 100, the Switzerland Top 100 and Austria Top 40. The album has sold millions of copies worldwide and entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 84 following its release in the U.S. On September 22, 2006, Zucchero released the album “Fly,” which was recorded at the Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood with producer Don Was. It rose to No. 1 in Italy and Switzerland thanks to the hit singles “Bacco perbacco” (2006), “Cuba libre” (2006), “Occhi” (2006) and “Un Kilo” (2007).

Next up for Zucchero, he released the album “All the Best” in 2007, “Live in Italy” in 2008 and “Chocabeck” in 2010. “Chocabeck” produced two singles with “È un peccato morir,” a No. 5 hit in Italy, and the title track “Chocabeck” (both 2010). A tour to support the album was scheduled to begin in 2011.

Awards:

• World Music Awards: 2

• IFPI Europe Platinum Awards: 6