Biography of Francesco De Gregori

Musical explorations of author

April 4, 1951
The Roman singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori was born in the capital the day April 4, 1951. Although steps much of his childhood in the city of Pescara, returns to Rome towards the end of the years ' 50. His experiences as an artist in music began at the Folkstudio: first accompanies Caterina Bueno with his guitar, then with friends, Antonello Venditti, Mimmo Locasciulli and Giorgio Lo Cascio-heavily inspired by the music of Bob Dylan--began performing. De Gregori's repertoire includes songs from Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, duly translated into Italian. With the passage of time also has own tracks with sparse melodies and texts almost airtight, however rather arduous and translating them to the public.
The success and fame arrive only in 1975 with the album "Rimmel", a disc containing pearls, able this time to touch the strings of the hearts of the audience, and projecting Francesco De Gregori in the Olympus of the great authors of Italian music. Follow other work including the album "Buffalo Bill" (1976), and "Titanic" (1982); then the Q-disc "La Donna Cannone", until you get one that looks like a turning point in 1989, when rock De Gregori released "Mira Mare 19.4.89". The same vein rock is present in later albums, like "love songs", where love is present only in title, having regard to the social issues that the author touches in every song. In 1996 returns with "Catch and release", an album that has assisted in the arrangements by Corrado Rustici, capable to put an original print in all the songs on the disc. Only in 2001 Francesco De Gregori picks up his guitar for the new job, "love in the afternoon". Seems to be back to the old, no longer distorted guitars.
The tour following the album is long and exhausting, Francesco sounds everywhere, from the most prestigious theaters, to the smoky clubs in the suburbs. In 2002 released a disc of popular songs with Giovanna Marini (already included in the album "Titanic"). This is "Il fischio del vapore", which sells beyond all expectation. Throughout his career are different discs live: from the trilogy of the 1990 testimony of "Mira Mare", passing by "Il Bandito e il Campione", until you get to "La Valigia dell'attore", an album that not only contain the pieces of theatrical tour, also contains some songs he had written for others like "give me to Eat" (per Angela Baraldi) or the title track "La Valigia dell'attore" initially written for actor Alessandro Haber. His latest album is 2008 and is titled "for brevity called artist".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.