Gianni Morandi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gianni Morandi
Morandi in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Gian Luigi Morandi
Born	(1944-12-11) 11 December 1944 (age 80) Monghidoro, Emilia-Romagna, Kingdom of Italy
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer actor television personality
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1962–present
Labels	RCA Epic

Gian Luigi "Gianni" Morandi (born 11 December 1944) is a famous Italian pop singer, actor, and TV star. He has sold around 50 million records, making him one of Italy's most successful artists!

Gianni Morandi's Early Life

Gian Luigi Morandi was born in a small village called Monghidoro in Italy. When he was young, he helped his father sell newspapers. Gianni also worked as a shoe-shiner, a cobbler (someone who fixes shoes), and sold candy at the village cinema. He had a great singing voice from a young age, which led him to perform at local events.

A Look at His Amazing Career

Starting Out: The 1960s

Morandi and Laura Efrikian in the movie In ginocchio da te (1964)

In 1962, after winning a music festival for new artists, Gianni Morandi got a contract with RCA Italiana, a big record company. That same year, he released his first song, "Andavo a 100 all'ora." He also appeared on the TV show Alta pressione, where his song "Fatti mandare dalla mamma a prendere il latte" became a hit. This made him and singer Rita Pavone very popular with young fans.

In 1964, Gianni had his first number one hit with "In ginocchio da te". This song won the Cantagiro festival and was even made into a very successful movie! He had another big hit that year with "Non son degno di te" and went on a successful tour in Japan.

The next few years were also full of success. In 1965, he had two more number one songs, "Se non avessi più te" and "Si fa sera." He also toured South America. In 1966, he had hits like "La fisarmonica" and "Notte di ferragosto." He also released the famous protest song "C'era un ragazzo che come me amava i Beatles e i Rolling Stones" and "Se perdo anche te." In 1967, his romantic song "Un mondo d'amore" was a big hit. After this, he took a year off for military service. He returned in 1968 with more hits, including "Chimera" and "Scende la pioggia."

The 1970s: New Challenges

Morandi at the Eurovision Song Contest 1970

Gianni started the 1970s with another win at Canzonissima with "Ma chi se ne importa." In 1970, he also acted in the movie A Pocketful of Chestnuts and represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 with "Occhi di ragazza".

After a couple of smaller hits, he slowed down his work. In 1972, he sang at the Sanremo Music Festival for the first time with "Vado a lavorare," but it wasn't a big hit. His music career faced some challenges in the mid-1970s.

However, in 1976, Gianni had an unexpected number one hit with "Sei forte papà," a children's song about protecting the environment. He also won an award at the Tokyo Music Festival. Later that year, he decided to take a break from performing to study the double bass at a music school called Conservatorio Santa Cecilia.

The Comeback: The 1980s

Gianni Morandi returned to music in 1980, performing at the 30th Sanremo Music Festival. His career started to pick up again with songs like "Canzoni stonate" and "La mia nemica amatissima." In 1983, he recorded a popular duet with Amii Stewart called "Grazie perchè," which became a top hit. He also starred in three successful TV mini-series between 1984 and 1987.

After releasing two popular albums, Gianni won the Sanremo Music Festival 1987 with the song "Si può dare di più" alongside Enrico Ruggeri and Umberto Tozzi. In 1988, he released a very successful album, Dalla/Morandi, with singer Lucio Dalla. This album sold over one million copies! They also went on a long tour together. Gianni ended the decade with another big album, Varietà, which included popular songs like "Bella signora."

The 1990s: More Hits and TV Shows

In 1992, Gianni released the album Morandi Morandi, which featured "Banane e lamponi," one of his most well-known songs. He returned to the Sanremo Festival in 1995, coming in second place with "In amore," a duet with Barbara Cola. In 1999, he hosted a very popular TV show called C'era un ragazzo, which attracted over 9 million viewers per episode.

The 2000s: Continued Success

In 2000, famous singer Eros Ramazzotti produced and wrote all the songs for Gianni's album Come fa bene l'amore. The main song, "Innamorato," came in third at the 50th Sanremo Festival. In 2002, Gianni co-hosted the TV show Uno di noi and released the album L'amore ci cambia la vita, which sold over 200,000 copies. His 2004 album, A chi si ama veramente, also sold over 200,000 copies.

In 2006, Gianni hosted a new TV show, released his album Il tempo migliore, and published his autobiography, Diario di un ragazzo italiano. In 2009, he took part in the charity song "Domani 21/04.09" and released an album of cover songs.

The 2010s: Hosting and New Collaborations

Gianni Morandi was chosen to host the Sanremo Music Festival 2011 and again in Sanremo Music Festival 2012. These are very important music events in Italy!

In 2016, he started a tour called "Capitani Coraggiosi Tour" with Claudio Baglioni. In 2017, he recorded the hit song "Volare" with Fabio Rovazzi.

In 2019, his 1964 song "In ginocchio da te" became popular again when it was featured in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite.

The 2020s: Recent Events

In 2020, Gianni participated in another charity song, "Ma il cielo è sempre più blu", to support the Italian Red Cross during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, Gianni had a serious accident at home that badly burned his right hand. A year later, in 2022, he performed at the Sanremo Music Festival 2022 with "Apri tutte le porte" and finished in third place. In 2023, he co-hosted the Sanremo Music Festival 2023.

Gianni's Personal Life

In 1966, Gianni Morandi married actress Laura Efrikian. They starred in several movies together before divorcing in 1979.

Gianni Morandi's Music Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

• Cantare (1980)
• Morandi in teatro (1986)
• Live @RTSI Gianni Morandi (1999)
• Grazie a tutti, il concerto (2009)
• Capitani coraggiosi – Il live (2016)

Gianni Morandi's Movies and TV Shows

Films

Television

Awards and Honors

• Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (24 January 2005) - This is a special award from the Italian government.
• Honorary citizenship of the Municipality of Carloforte (Carloforte, 28 June 2019) - This means he was made an honorary citizen of the town of Carloforte.
• Golden Neptune of the City of Bologna (Bologna, 3 March 2022) - A special award from the city of Bologna.

See also

In Spanish: Gianni Morandi para niños