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Guido & Maurizio De Angelis facts for kids
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Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
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Guido & Maurizio De Angelis in Radiocorriere magazine, 1975
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Oliver Onions |
| Origin | Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1963–2016 (as Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, composers); 1971–1990, 2007–present (as Oliver Onions) |
| Labels | |
| 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 |
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Guido and Maurizio De Angelis are Italian musicians. They are also known as Oliver Onions. They write music, play many instruments, and sing. They have also produced TV shows and movies.
They became very popular in the 1970s and early 1980s. They wrote and performed music for action-comedy films. Many of these films starred the famous duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Their songs became huge hits across Europe.
After a break in the 1990s and early 2000s, they returned to music. They had a big concert in Budapest, Hungary. This concert was called Oliver Onions Reunion Live Budapest. It happened because their music was very popular in Hungary. This success led to more shows in Italy and other parts of Europe.
Contents
How They Started
Guido and Maurizio De Angelis were born near Rome, in Rocca di Papa. Guido was born in 1944, and Maurizio in 1947.
They began their music career in 1963. They released an album and then started arranging music for RCA Italiana. Their early success led to many more albums. They composed, arranged, and sang all the songs themselves.
The Name Oliver Onions
The De Angelis brothers were very busy musicians in the 1970s. They used different names for their projects. This was so they wouldn't seem to be everywhere at once. Some of their other names included G&M Orchestra and Charango.
Their most famous name, Oliver Onions, came from their friend Susan Duncan-Smith. She was a British journalist. She suggested they use an English name for their songs. This would help them reach a wider audience outside Italy.
They chose "Oliver Onions" after a British writer. The name was easy to remember and say in many languages. In Italy, they became famous for the theme song of the 1976 TV series Sandokan. This song became a number one hit in Italy. Their song "Santa Maria" was also a number one hit in Germany in 1980.
Music for Films
The De Angelis brothers are best known for their film music. They wrote the main theme for the 1983 movie Yor, the Hunter from the Future.
Their most famous work is for the Bud Spencer & Terence Hill films. These include action, adventure, and comedy movies. Their theme songs for these films became as popular as the movies themselves. For example, their song "Dune Buggy" from the 1974 film Watch Out, We're Mad was a top hit in Europe.
They also worked on music for animated series. They wrote songs for Italian versions of Japanese anime like Doraemon. They also composed music for European cartoons like Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds.
Later Years and Comeback
By the early 1990s, the brothers started to step back from music. They felt they weren't getting enough credit as composers in Italy. They decided to focus on producing TV shows and films instead. During this time, Maurizio often composed music for their own productions.
Their return to music began in 2007. They performed their first concert as Oliver Onions in 25 years at the Lucca Comics Festival. In 2016, a Hungarian promoter asked them to perform again. This concert was a tribute to their friend Bud Spencer, who had recently passed away.
Maurizio De Angelis said they were nervous at first. They hadn't performed live in many years. But they remembered an old Italian saying: "Once you have learned how to ride a bicycle, you never forget." They practiced hard and quickly got back into their musical groove.
The concert in Budapest was a huge success. It led to more tours in Italy and Europe. These tours were called Oliver Onions Is Still Our Name. In 2021, they released a new album called Future Memorabilia. It has new versions of their famous songs. Some songs feature other popular singers. The song "Banana Joe" even includes parts sung by Bud Spencer from the original movie.
Their music has also been used in other films. "Zorro Is Back" was in Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket. "Goodbye My Friend" was in the movie Faster.
Oliver Onions Band Members
1971–1990
- Guido De Angelis - Lead and backing vocals, guitars, percussion
- Maurizio De Angelis - Lead and backing vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, synths
- Cesare De Natale - Backing vocals, lyricist, co-composer
- Susan Duncan-Smith - English-language lyricist, backing vocals
2007–present
- Guido De Angelis - Vocals
- Maurizio De Angelis - Vocals, guitars, mandolin, piano, keyboards
- Emanuele Giordani - Drums
- Riccardo Di Vinci - Bass guitar
- Danny Bronzini - Guitars
- Filippo Piva - Guitars, vocals
- Francesco Signorini - Keyboards
- Marco Zago - Keyboards
- Fabio Baù - Trumpet, French horn
- Giovanni Forestan - Saxophone, flute, clarinet
- Alberto "Zach" Gigante - Additional vocals
- "Ray" Alberto Secondino - Additional vocals
Their 2016 comeback show in Budapest also featured a string quartet and six female backing vocalists. They also had the Hungarian orchestra Magyar Studió Zenekar and choir Cinema Studió Kórus.
Albums by Oliver Onions
- See You Later (1974)
- Greatest Hits (1977)
- Bulldozer (1979)
- Six Ways (1979)
- Santa Maria (1980)
- Brigitte Aerobic (1983; Germany)
- Best of Bud Spencer & Terence Hill (1992; Germany)
- Future Memorabilia (2021)
Images for kids
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Guido (right) & Maurizio De Angelis at Lucca Comics Festival 2007
See also
In Spanish: Guido y Maurizio De Angelis para niños