Nilla Pizzi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nilla Pizzi
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Nilla Pizzi winning the Sanremo Music Festival in 1952
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adionilla Pizzi |
| Born | 16 April 1919 Sant'Agata Bolognese, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 12 March 2011 (aged 91) Segrate, Italy |
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| Years active | 1940–2011 |
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Nilla Pizzi (born Adionilla Pizzi; April 16, 1919 – March 12, 2011) was a famous Italian singer and actress. She was born in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. Nilla Pizzi became very popular in Italy during the 1950s and 1960s.
She is best known for winning the very first Sanremo Music Festival in 1951 with the song "Grazie dei fiori". The next year, in 1952, she made history by finishing first, second, and third! Her winning songs were "Vola colomba", "Papaveri e papere", and "Una donna prega". This amazing achievement has never been matched by any other singer.
Throughout her career at Sanremo, she performed 31 songs. She also appeared as a special guest three times and even hosted the festival once. With her powerful and warm voice, Nilla Pizzi is considered one of the most successful singers in the history of the Sanremo Music Festival.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Nilla Pizzi's father, Angelo, was a farmer, and her mother, Maria, was a tailor. Nilla had two younger sisters. Before becoming a singer, she worked as a tailor, at a military bakery, and as a radio tester at Ducati in Bologna.
In the late 1930s, Nilla started taking part in beauty shows. In 1939, she even competed in the Miss Italia contest. In 1940, she performed for soldiers and was chosen as the mascot for an infantry regiment.
In 1942, Nilla won a singing competition organized by EIAR, which was Italy's main radio broadcaster. She beat ten thousand other singers! After this, she started performing with an orchestra and made her radio debut with the song "Casetta tra le rose".
Her first solo song, "Alba della vita", was released in 1944. However, the radio station decided her voice was not suitable at that time, and she was temporarily removed from the radio. Despite this, she continued to tour theaters and ballrooms across Italy. In 1946, she returned to radio and signed a contract with Cetra Records. For a while, she had to record songs using different names or without any name at all. By 1949, she was finally allowed to use her own name again. Even with these challenges, she became very popular and launched many hit songs.
Between 1948 and 1950, music styles changed, with Latin American rhythms like samba and rumba becoming popular. Nilla Pizzi showed she could sing these new styles too, often with a fun and ironic touch. She also sang duets with Luciano Benevene, including "Bongo Bongo Bongo".
The Golden 1950s
The 1950s were a huge success for Nilla Pizzi. In 1951, she won the first-ever Sanremo Music Festival with "Grazie dei fiori". This song sold 36,000 copies, which was a massive hit back then. She also came in second place with "La luna si veste d'argento", which she sang with Achille Togliani.
The next year, in 1952, she made history at the Sanremo Festival. She took all three top spots: first with "Vola colomba", second with "Papaveri e papere", and third with "Una donna prega". This record has never been broken! She was called "the Queen of Italian Music." Her songs became very important. "Vola colomba" was played when the city of Trieste returned to Italy. "Papaveri e papere" sold 75,000 copies and was translated into over 40 languages, becoming an Italian classic, even though its original lyrics were changed.
In 1952, Nilla also won the first Festival di Napoli with Franco Ricci. She toured America successfully, appearing on radio and TV and recording songs. In 1958, she returned to Sanremo and placed second with "L'edera" and third with "Amare un altro". Later that year, she won Canzonissima with "L'edera". In 1959, she won the Barcelona Festival and a Critics' Prize at Sanremo.
From the 1960s to the 1980s
In the 1960s, new music styles like rock and roll became popular, which was different from Nilla's traditional songs. However, she still found her place in music, both in Italy and around the world. She continued to record songs in different Italian regional languages and often appeared as a guest on TV and radio shows.
She opened a nightclub in Acapulco, Mexico, which was visited by famous stars like Frank Sinatra. In 1962, she started a series of successful tours in Australia that lasted for 30 years. In 1964, she acted in a TV parody of The Three Musketeers, playing Queen Anne of Austria. She also won several awards. In 1965, she acted in the film The Mandrake alongside famous actors like Totò.
In 1968, she had another successful tour in the United States, performing with stars like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. In 1970, she released the album Scritte per me, which included songs by famous Italian writers and composers. In 1972, her album Con tanta nostalgia won a special award from music critics. In 1978, she acted in her last film, Melodrammore.
In 1981, Nilla Pizzi was invited to host the Sanremo Festival, celebrating 30 years since her first win. From 1986 to 1990, she formed a group called Quelli di Sanremo ("The ones from Sanremo") with other famous singers like Carla Boni and Gino Latilla. They performed at many events. She also hosted TV shows on local channels. In 1989, her song "Grazie dei fiori" was recognized as the most beautiful song of the first 40 years of the Sanremo Festival.
Personal Life
In 1940, Nilla Pizzi married Guido Pizzi. They shared the same last name but were not related. A few days after their wedding, her husband was called to the army, and they separated. In 1957, she secretly married guitarist Carlo Porti in Acapulco, but they separated a few months later.
Later Years and Death
Nilla Pizzi passed away on March 12, 2011, at the age of 91, in Segrate, Milan. She was buried in her family's chapel in the cemetery of Sant'Agata Bolognese.
Sanremo Participations
- 1951
- "Grazie dei fiori" – 1st place
- "La luna si veste d'argento" (with Achille Togliani) – 2nd place
- "Eco tra gli abeti" (with Achille Togliani) – 5th place
- 1952
- "Vola colomba" – 1st place
- "Papaveri e papere" – 2nd place
- "Una donna prega" – 3rd place
- 1953
- "Campanaro" (with Teddy Reno) – 2nd place
- 1958
- "L'edera" (with Tonina Torrielli) – 2nd place
- "Amare un'altra" (with Gino Latilla) – 3rd place
- 1959
- "Sempre con te" (with Fausto Cigliano) – 6th place
- 1960
- "Colpevole" (with Tonina Torrielli) – 4th place
- 1981: Co-host with Claudio Cecchetto and Eleonora Vallone
- 1994: "Una vecchia canzone italiana" (as part of Squadra Italia) – 19th place
- 2000: Special guest; received an award for 50 years since her first victory
- 2003: Special guest; received the City of Sanremo Prize
- 2010: Special guest; received the City of Sanremo Prize again
Images for kids
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Nilla Pizzi in 1939
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Nilla Pizzi with Giacomo Romano Davare (right) and Redento Coslovi in 1974
See also
In Spanish: Nilla Pizzi para niños
