Carmen Villani | zh

Performer with a voice in some ways unique, exceptional versatility in singing, supported by a musical sense above average,''with a gospel tone, imbued with shades of blues.
There is still a mystery why a singer with similar vocal characteristics has not become a star of the song in the history of Italian music.
Born in Ravarino in the province of Modena, just sixteen, in 1960, he won hands down edition of Castrocaro springboard for emerging singers. In that edition of the festival song Gigi Maviglia journalist was present, made by Shed, the record label boss Bluebell. The journalist immediately offered a screen test, successfully passed, under the guidance of Intra. After recording just two songs (On the school desk and Jimmy) was spotted by Fred Hammond who had it heavily in his orchestra. During this period, with the voice of Buscaglione Villani was enriched by a marked swing in American-style that would never abandoned.
Received a successful singing with him for over a month at the Royal Club in Naples, but unfortunately, February 3, 1960, the great Fred died in a car accident, just as Rome was making contact with RAI to present himself Canzonissima, Villani with the next. The Bluebell, in 1961, he published two more of its individual, Sunset in Canada and the bell, which were unsuccessful. Carmen Villani meanwhile, recited (or sung) alongside Gian Maria Volonte in "A Man for Burning" by the Taviani brothers. He was hired by the RAI in Rome and worked for two years under the artistic direction of Lelio Luttazzi in "purely musical" and "The words this unknown".
In 1962 the 45 came my way to 14th place in the standings. You should also mention trust in me (cover of "You can depend on me"), Burns ("Come and get it), I'm so (Burt Bacharach) and this evening, up to the bubbly Congratulations to you. In this period it seemed that the road to success was finally leveled to the Villani, who was, however, in some unfortunate choices. For example, the great American composer Burt Bacharach offered her the chance to record his new song, which was titled "Anyone You Had A Heart." Unfortunately, given the limited success of its predecessor, I am so, Villani was advised to drop that perspective. That song became instead a complete success, in the interpretations of Dionne Warwick and Petula Clark and the latter arrived at the top of our rankings with the Italian version, entitled Those who have a heart. In 1965, he had to play in San Remo in tandem with Paul Anka song the truth, but it was not possible because that issue in the RCA, the Canadian singer's record company, withdrew in protest from the event. The Villani not lose heart and released more singles in value as the deeply-felt only will love me, very difficult to interpret, although I want (remake of "Tossin 'and turning" of the English Ivy League) and his beautiful back Time passes.
Then came Bada Caterina, his best known song, which was, along with the B-side of the 45 - and Brillo stamp - the soundtrack to the hit film "Adultery Italian Style" with Nino Manfredi, and Catherine Spaak. The cut beats and unconventional, rebellious and cheeky text Bada Caterina meant that many young girls identify with Carmen Villani and want to play records loud that she expressed in that song. With the advent of the Beat movement and protest songs, in 1966, Umberto Napolitano Guitars wrote the song against the war, he got a good success in the interpretation of Villani in the meantime had joined emotionally to a young director of RAI, Mauro Ivaldi. In 1967 he took his passage to the record company Fonit Cetra. His debut single, I love, written by Pino Donaggio, participated in the Sanremo Festival of that year, reaching the top of the list of the 45 laps sold. For the new label, Villani played other songs of great emotion: Grin grin grin, do not take it seriously, to forget, Thirty 0233, up to the San Remo in 1969 where he sang Little small disk with which he returned in the standings. At the Festival the following year, his superb acting Hippy was appreciated by many fans who prefer the version of Faust. In 1969, for the Italian song, won the Festival in Tokyo with small. For two years later led him, along with Raffaele Pisu, Ric and Gian, television programs "Saturday is another matter" and "What a Friend Sunday", written by Castellano and Pipolo directed by Vito Molinari and the musical direction of Gorni Kramer.
In 1971, Carmen was signed to the RCA, it seems pressure from Domenico Modugno, in which the couple participated in the Sanremo Festival featuring the excellent How are you. The Villani wanted to make a change in his career, then he hoped to be able to interpret songs copyright and shake off the label of a purely pop performer. Ennio Melis then head of RCA and then decided to combine the Villani Piero Ciampi in a project that wanted her to interpret the footage of the singer Leghorn. The first episode of collaboration between the two artists there was in the fall of '71, when Carmen Villani, passed the preliminary stage of Canzonissima and having to bring a new song, he chose to interpret my child, a difficult track for a race so popular, moreover, that spoke of divorce, which had not yet legalized in Italy. The Villani gave a superlative interpretation, one of his finest performances ever. In mid-February 1972, the singer went into the recording studio for the first test of the singer who was able to meet only a couple of times before Ciampi disappeared without giving news of himself. In that session, the singer recorded Maria mad love affair with the addition of guitarist Maurizio De Angelis Gianni Marchetti and arranging, a faithful contributor to Ciampi. The relationship between the peasant and the RCA were interrupted, however, soon after due to record different objectives of both parties: she wanted to steer his repertoire to the songwriting, the label Roman would have preferred a more commercial path. Carmen Villani left and then giving up the RCA to the realization of an unprecedented 33 rounds which was also part of why I should Lucio Battisti (already registered and given an episode of the television show "Without a Net" which the singer was the star Emilia) .
Subsequently, the RCA will publish only a 45 Carmen-test with two tracks: The Last Man Sara Ennio Morricone, engraved for the movie, and a kick to the heart, Ornella Vanoni then etched with the title and hard not to love each other more (in the album "Dreaming Of You" in 1974) with new text by Sergio Bardotti. The design of an album with songs by Ciampi later went on to Nada that carried it out in the fall of 74 with the title "I discovered that I exist." Maria mad love, however, was instead taken over by its author the next year with text and title slightly changed, becoming Mary and me (on the album "You and I have lost the plot"). The last single recorded by Villani was then "The Last Man Sara", released in 1974. Carmen Villani attended in the '70s as an actress in a film directed by her husband Mauro Ivaldi, "My soul." The film went unnoticed, but not the next "The friend of my mother," always Ivaldi with Barbara Bouchet, who got a rather good success. Top-grossing film of the season was instead "Witchblade" directed by Guido Leoni. All these films were forbidden to minors, as the next and plurisequestrato "Language silver" and "Lettomania. For some years Villani worked mainly for the cinema, leaving the world of music. He made other films in Italy ("Steps in a stealthy night Executioner", "Thank you and goodbye", "The wedding ring," "The lady has been very successful," "The deputy in the City") and then another 3 film, directed by her husband in Spain until the early 80s. Back in Italy in 1987 he resumed his singing career by proposing the Soul album, a very good job that passed over in silence because of court cases met the record label Intercom, the album was not evenly distributed and it is highly sought after by collectors. Another LP was recorded by Carmen Villani for the Italian Targa tagged with Phoenix. Thus ends the musical career of Carmen Villani. After the death of her husband (a few years ago) reverting to the entertainment world as an author, involved in the project for a musical, "Once in a lifetime," with lyrics by Toby Lightman. In 2004 he also participated in the album "Weekend Funkafè" Ridillo group.
Remains, however, regret that a complete artist, has been unable to enter the restricted olympians of the most beautiful female voices of Italian music, which is almost entirely forgotten and that some of you remember the roles primarily "hot" spoken, but with much irony on the big screen .