Guido & Maurizio De Angelis facts for kids

Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis in Radiocorriere magazine, 1975
Background information
Also known as	Oliver Onions
Origin	Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy
Genres	Film scores pop pop rock
Years active	1963–2016 (as Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, composers); 1971–1990, 2007–present (as Oliver Onions)
Labels	RCA Sony
Members	Guido De Angelis Maurizio De Angelis Emanuele Giordani Riccardo Di Vinci Danny Bronzini Filippo Piva Francesco Signorini Marco Zaga Fabio Baù Giovanni Forestan Alberto "Zach" Gigante "Ray" Alberto Secondino
Past members	Cesare De Natale Susan Duncan-Smith

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis are two brothers from Italy who are famous musicians, composers, and singers. They are best known by their stage name, Oliver Onions.

The brothers became very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They wrote and performed the music for many action-comedy movies. These films often starred the famous actors Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Their songs became huge hits all over Europe.

After taking a break from music, they made a big comeback. A special concert in Budapest, Hungary, brought them back to the stage. Fans were excited to see them perform live again. This led to more successful shows across Europe.

How Their Music Career Began

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis were born near Rome. Guido was born on December 22, 1944, and Maurizio on February 22, 1947. Their music journey started in 1963.

After releasing a successful album, they began working as music arrangers for the record label RCA Italiana. This was a big step for them. They went on to create many more albums where they wrote the music and sang all the songs themselves.

The Story of "Oliver Onions"

The De Angelis brothers were so busy in the 1970s that they used many different names for their projects. This was to avoid having their real names on too many records at once. Some of their other names were G&M Orchestra and Dilly Dilly.

Their most famous name, Oliver Onions, was suggested by a friend. She told them that an English name would help them become more popular outside of Italy. They chose "Oliver Onions" because it was easy for everyone to remember and say.

In Italy, they became famous for the theme song of the TV series Sandokan. The song was a number one hit. They also had a hit song in Germany called "Santa Maria," which stayed at number one for six weeks in 1980.

Music for Movies and TV Shows

The De Angelis brothers are most famous for their soundtracks. They wrote music for many popular films. Their most well-known work is for the action-comedy movies starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill.

The theme songs they wrote for these movies were just as popular as the films themselves. For example, their song "Dune Buggy" from the movie Watch Out, We're Mad was a top hit across Europe.

Famous Film Scores

The brothers created music for many classic Italian movies. Some of these include:

• Trinity Is Still My Name
• Torso
• Street Law
• Violent Rome
• Zorro

Their song "Zorro Is Back" was even used in the American movie Bottle Rocket.

Music for Cartoons

Guido and Maurizio also wrote music for many animated shows. They composed songs for the Italian versions of anime like Doraemon and Galaxy Express 999. They also created the music for popular European cartoons like Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds and Around the World with Willy Fog.

A Big Comeback

Guido (right) & Maurizio De Angelis at a festival in 2007

In the early 1990s, the brothers felt they were not getting enough credit for their work in Italy. They decided to take a break from music and focus on producing movies and TV shows.

Their return to music began in 2007 with a special concert. But their major comeback happened in 2016. A promoter in Hungary asked them to perform a big "reunion" show in Budapest. The show was a tribute to their friend, the actor Bud Spencer, who had recently passed away.

At first, the brothers were nervous about performing live after so many years. But they quickly remembered how much they loved it. The concert was a huge success and led to more tours across Europe.

In 2021, they released a new album called Future Memorabilia. It featured new recordings of their greatest hits, with some songs performed with other famous singers.

Selected Famous Movies They Scored

The brothers wrote music for over 100 films. Here are some of their most famous ones:

• Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)
• All the Way, Boys (1972)
• Even Angels Eat Beans (1973)
• Watch Out, We're Mad (1974)
• Zorro (1975)
• Sandokan (1976)
• Crime Busters (1977)
• Odds and Evens (1978)
• The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979)
• Banana Joe (1982)
• Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1983)

Discography (as Oliver Onions)

Here are some of the albums and hit singles released under their famous name, Oliver Onions.

Albums

• See You Later (1974)
• Greatest Hits (1977)
• Bulldozer (1979)
• Santa Maria (1980)
• Best of Bud Spencer & Terence Hill (1992)
• Future Memorabilia (2021)

Famous Singles

See also

In Spanish: Guido y Maurizio De Angelis para niños