Paolo Conte

One of the most idiosyncratic, charismatic, and internationally successful Italian singer/songwriters of the past four decades, Paolo Conte created his own unique style, combining a love for jazz and music hall together with a weary yet sympathetic and humorous understanding of human foibles. Born to a well-to-do Asti (Piedmont, Italy) family in 1937, Conte began to learn the piano at an early age, together with his younger brother Giorgio Conte -- who would also become a famous songwriter in his own right -- at the insistence of their father, a distinguished notary but also a passionate jazz amateur. Following in the family's footsteps, Conte became a lawyer and practiced the profession until well into his thirties. Contemporaneously, he played the vibraphone in several local jazz bands. Conte's first release came as early as 1962, an EP for Italian RCA with the Paul Conte Quartet. Occasional tours and recording with small outfits would follow, but it is only when he started to develop an interest in songwriting that he began to seriously consider a career in music. Indeed, between 1965 and the release of his first solo album in 1974, Conte became a reputed professional songwriter. Working in collaboration with lyricists such as Vito Pallavicini and Giorgio Calabrese, or with his brother Giorgio, Paolo was the creative force behind several hits of popular Italian artists of the day: "La Coppia Pił Bella del Mondo" and "Azzurro" for Adriano Celentano, "Insieme a Te Non Ci Sto Pił" for Caterina Caselli, "Tripoli '69" for Patty Pravo, "Messico e Nuvole" for Enzo Jannacci, "Genova per Noi" and "Onda Su Onda" for Bruno Lauzi, among others. The last two would eventually reappear in Conte's solo albums and grow into some of his most beloved compositions, along with...