Vasco Rossi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vasco Rossi
Rossi in 2007
Background information
Born	(1952-02-07) 7 February 1952 (age 73) Zocca, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Genres	Pop pop rock rock
Years active	1977–present

Vasco Rossi (born on February 7, 1952), often called just Vasco or Il Blasco, is a famous Italian singer, songwriter, and poet. He has released 30 albums and written over 250 songs. He also wrote lyrics for many other artists.

Vasco Rossi calls himself a provocautore, which means a "provoking author." He is known for his unique style and powerful song lyrics. With more than 35 million albums sold, he is one of Italy's best-selling singers. His concert in Modena Park in 2017 was one of the biggest ticketed concerts ever.

About Vasco Rossi

Early Life and School

Vasco Rossi was born in Zocca, a small town in Italy. His father, Carlo Rossi, was a truck driver, and his mother, Novella, was a homemaker. When Vasco was a little boy, his mother encouraged him to go to singing school. This was a bit unusual for their small village, but Vasco quickly fell in love with music. By the age of 14, he was already playing with his first band.

Later, Vasco and his family moved to Bologna, Italy. He studied accounting in high school. After finishing school, he opened a music club called Punto Club. He also started studying at university. To earn money, he worked as a DJ. With his friends, he helped start one of Italy's first private radio stations, "Punto Radio." This was where he first started sharing his own songs.

Music Career Highlights

Vasco Rossi's friend, Gaetano Curreri, who is now a member of the band Stadio, encouraged him to release his first music. On June 13, 1977, Vasco released an EP with songs like "Jenny è pazza" (Jenny is crazy) and "Silvia." In 1978, he released his first full album, Ma cosa vuoi che sia una canzone ("What do you expect from a song").

In 1979, his second album, Non siamo mica gli americani ("We're certainly not Americans"), came out. This album showed off Vasco's unique writing style. His album Colpa d'Alfredo ("Alfredo's fault") followed in 1980. Some of its lyrics caused a stir and were not played on the radio. However, this actually made Vasco more popular, and he became famous across Italy.

In 1981, he released Siamo solo noi ("It's only us"). The main song from this album became a very important song for many young people of that time.

In 1982, Vasco Rossi performed at the Sanremo Music Festival for the first time with his song "Vado al massimo" ("I'm taking it to the max"). He faced some criticism there. The album Vado al Massimo was released in April of that year. The next year, he returned to Sanremo with "Vita spericolata" (Daredevil Life), which is one of his most famous songs.

His album Bollicine ("Little Bubbles"), released in 1983, was his sixth album in seven years. This album made him a true rock icon in Italy. The title song, "Bollicine," won the Festivalbar '83 award, and his tour that year was a huge success.

In 1984, Vasco released his first live album, Va bene, va bene così ("It's alright, it's alright this way"). His next album, Cosa succede in città ("What's going on in the city"), came out shortly after.

In 1987, Vasco Rossi released his ninth album, C'è chi dice no ("There Are Some Who Say No"). More and more fans came to his concerts, so he started playing in large arenas and stadiums instead of smaller clubs. This became a big part of his career.

His tenth studio album, Liberi liberi ("[we are] Free, Free"), was released in 1989 and sold 800,000 copies in Italy. The success of his 1989 tour led to a live album called Fronte del palco and two big concerts in 1990 in Milan and Rome. The live album sold over 300,000 copies.

Vasco's album Gli spari sopra ("The shots above"), released in 1993, sold incredibly well, reaching ten times platinum status. The main song was a cover of "Celebrate" by the band An Emotional Fish. In 1994, he gave the song "Senza Parole" ("Without Words") to his fan club members.

In 1995, Vasco performed two concerts at San Siro stadium called Rock sotto l'assedio ("Rock under siege"). These concerts were held to protest the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He invited Bosnian bands to perform, but some people criticized him because the money raised was not given to charity, even though it was never planned to be.

In 1996, Vasco recorded Nessun Pericolo... Per Te ("No Danger... For You"). This album included popular songs like "Sally" and "Gli angeli" ("The Angels"). The music video for "Gli angeli" was directed by the famous filmmaker Roman Polanski. The drums for the song "Anche se" (later called "Praticamente perfetto") were played by Taylor Hawkins.

In 1998, Vasco Rossi released Canzoni per me ("Songs for me"). This album had a softer, less rock sound and included some older songs he had written but never released. He won his second Festivalbar award with the song "L'una per te." In 1998, he performed at the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Imola, Italy. This concert was recorded and released as the live album Rewind in 1999. Sadly, a few days into the tour, Vasco's close friend and guitarist, Massimo Riva, passed away. Vasco and his fans remember him at almost every concert.

In 2001, Stupido Hotel ("Stupid Hotel") was released, and Vasco won his third Festivalbar award with the song "Siamo Soli" ("We are alone"). In 2002, he released Tracks, which was a collection of his remastered songs. This was followed by three sold-out concerts at San Siro Stadium in Milan. His album Buoni o cattivi ("Good or Bad Ones") was the most successful album in Italy in 2004.

On May 12, 2005, Vasco Rossi received an honorary degree in Communication Sciences from IULM University in Milan.

On September 9, 2005, Rossi released the double DVD È solo un Rock'n'Roll show ("It's Only a Rock'n’Roll Show"). This DVD featured all the songs from Buoni o cattivi as a two-hour music video. Three months later, Buoni o cattivi live anthology 04.05 was released. This was a big collection of CDs and DVDs recorded during his successful 2004 and 2005 tour. In December 2005, he returned to his hometown of Zocca, where his friends and community celebrated him with a special tribute.

In 2007, he released the "Vasco Extended Play," which included the hit song "Basta Poco" ("A Little Is Enough"). This EP was number one on the Italian FIMI Charts for 21 weeks, making it the best-selling single in Italy that year.

On November 4, 2010, Vasco released a new album, Sono innocente (I'm innocent). The song "Come vorrei" (How I would like to) was released before the album. While recording this album, Vasco wrote lyrics for a song by Dave Grohl called "Sognare ancora" (Dreaming Again). This song was part of a music project by Dave Grohl.

In May 2023, Vasco Rossi received Rome's highest civilian honor, the Lupa Capitolina, from Mayor Roberto Gualtieri.

Return to Touring

In June 2011, Vasco Rossi announced he would stop touring, but he would continue to work in music.

However, in January 2013, Vasco changed his mind and announced a new tour in Turin and Bologna. This was followed by more tours: Vasco Live Kom '014, Vasco Live Kom '015, and Vasco Live Kom '016. On July 1, 2017, he held a huge concert in Modena called Modena Park to celebrate his 40 years in music. The Modena Park 2017 concert sold over 225,000 tickets, setting a world record for the largest ticketed concert. This record was later broken on March 30, 2025, by Marko Perković Thompson's concert in Zagreb, which sold over 440,000 tickets.

Discography

Albums

• 1978 – ...Ma cosa vuoi che sia una canzone...
• 1979 – Non siamo mica gli americani
• 1980 – Colpa d'Alfredo
• 1981 – Siamo solo noi
• 1982 – Vado al massimo
• 1983 – Bollicine
• 1984 – Va bene, va bene così
• 1985 – Cosa succede in città
• 1987 – C'è chi dice no
• 1989 – Liberi liberi
• 1990 – Fronte del palco
• 1993 – Gli spari sopra
• 1996 – Nessun pericolo... per te
• 1998 – Canzoni per me
• 1999 – Rewind
• 2001 – Stupido hotel
• 2002 – Tracks
• 2004 – Buoni o cattivi
• 2005 – Buoni o cattivi Live Anthology 04-05
• 2008 – Il mondo che vorrei
• 2009 – Tracks 2 – Inediti e rarità
• 2010 – London Istant Live
• 2011 – Vivere o niente
• 2011 – Live Kom '011 – the complete version
• 2012 – L'altra metà del cielo
• 2014 – Sono innocente
• 2016 – Tutto in una notte – Live Kom 015
• 2016 – Vascononstop
• 2017 – Vasco Modena Park – Live 2017
• 2019 – Vascononstop Live
• 2021 – Siamo qui
• 2022 – Vasco Live Circo Massimo Roma
• 2025 – Vasco Live Milano Sansiro

EPs and Singles

• "Jenny / Silvia" (1977)
• "La nostra relazione / ... E poi mi parli di una vita insieme" (1978)
• "Albachiara / Fegato, fegato spappolato" (1979)
• "Non l'hai mica capito / Asilo republic" (1980)
• "Voglio andare al mare / Brava" (1981)
• "Splendida giornata Remix" (1982)
• "Vado al massimo / Ogni volta" (1982)
• "Vita spericolata / Mi piaci perchè" (1983)
• "Brava Giulia / Blasco Rossi" (1987)
• "Non mi va Remix" (1987)
• "Gli spari sopra (Hard Attack Mix) / Delusa (Mode Mix) / Delusa (Club Mix)" (1993)
• "Gli spari sopra (Celebrate)/Delusa (Rock Party Mix) /Se è vero o no/ L'uomo che hai di fronte (B. Mix)" (1993)
• "Senza Parole Remix" (1994)
• "Senza Parole" (1994)
• "Vasco Remixed" (1996)
• "Gli angeli" (1996)
• "Praticamente perfetto Remix / Io Perderò Remix" (1996)
• "Quanti anni hai" (1998)
• "L'una per te" (1998)
• "Io no" (1998)
• "Rewind (single)" (1998)
• "La fine del millennio" (1999)
• "Siamo soli" (2001)
• "Ti prendo e ti porto via" (2001)
• "Stupido hotel" (2001)
• "Standing ovation" (2002)
• "Io ti accontento" (2002)
• "Tu vuoi da me qualcosa" (2002)
• "Buoni o Cattivi (single)" (2004)
• "Come stai" (2004)
• "Un senso" (2004)
• "Cosa vuoi da me (remix)" (2005)
• "E..." (2005)
• "Señorita" (2005)
• "Basta poco" (2007)
• "Bollicine (Saffa remix 2007)" (2007)
• "Basta Poco (Bloom06 remix)" (2008)
• "Il mondo che vorrei" (2008)
• "Gioca con me" (2008)
• "E adesso che tocca a me" (2009)
• "Vieni qui" (2009)
• "Colpa del whisky" (2009)
• "Ad ogni costo" (2009)
• "Sto pensando a te" (2010)
• "Ho fatto un sogno" (2010)
• "Eh... già" (2011)
• "Vivere o niente" (2011)
• "Manifesto futurista della nuova umanità" (2011)
• "I soliti" (2011)
• "Stammi vicino" (2011)
• "Vivere o niente" (2012)
• "L'uomo più semplice" (2013)
• "Cambia-menti" (2013)
• "Dannate nuvole" (2014)
• "Come vorrei" (2014)
• "Sono innocente" (2015)
• "Guai" (2015)
• "Quante volte" (2015)
• "Il blues della chitarra sola" (2016)
• "Un mondo migliore" (2016)
• "Come nelle favole" (2017)
• "La verità" (2018)
• "Se ti potessi dire" (2019)
• "Una canzone d'amore buttata via" (2021)
• "Siamo qui" (2021)
• "La pioggia alla domenica" (feat. Marracash) (2022)
• "L'amore l'amore" (2022)
• "Gli Sbagli Che Fai" (2023)

DVDs

• Rewind (1999)
• Vasco Rossi Tracks (2002)
• Vasco Rossi @ S. Siro 03 (2003)
• E' Solo Un Rock'N' Roll Show (2005)
• Buoni O Cattivi Live Anthology (2005)
• Fronte Del Palco — Live 90 (2006)
• Gli Spari Sopra Tour (2006)
• Vasco@Olimpico.07 27.28 giugno sold out (2007)
• Vasco Rossi. Il mondo che vorrei. Live (2008)
• Live Kom 2011– The complete edition (2012)
• Live KOM 015 Live at Naples (2015)
• Il decalogo di Vasco (2015)
• Tutto in una notte – Live Kom 015 (2016)
• Vasco Modena Park (2017)
• Vascononstop Live (2019)

Songs Written for Other Artists

Concert Tours

• Buoni o Cattivi Tour (2004–05)
• Vasco Live 2007 (2007)
• Vasco.08 Live in concert (2008)
• Tour Europe indoor (2009–10)
• Vasco Live Kom '011 (2011)
• Vasco Live Kom '013 (2013)
• Vasco Live Kom '014 (2014)
• Vasco Live Kom '015 (2015–16)
• Modena Park 2017 (2017) in Parco Enzo Ferrari in Modena, Italy, with 225,173 tickets sold, was the world largest ticketed concert.
• VascoNonStop Live 2018 (2018)
• VascoNonStop Live 2019 (2019)
• VascoNonStop Festival 2020 (2020)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Vasco Rossi para niños