Adriano Celentano - Il meglio di Adriano Celentano (2011)

Adriano Celentano – who wouldn’t know the name? Obviously, the singer-actor-director-humorist performer probably only needs to be introduced to the youngest generation, everyone else will know the name Adriano Celentano.

‘Il Molleggiato’ – he has had this nickname since the fifties, which he clearly owes to his strange dance style. His springy, loose and incomparably “rag-legged” movements are characterized by this nickname, which apparently doesn’t bother him at all, and has become almost his trademark over the years.

Celentano was born in Milan in 1938, so he’s not a child anymore, but he’s actively working, and this year there was a television show in which we can see him (Una serata Bella per te, Gianni!).

Originally a watchmaker, Adriano, who was born in Via Gluck 14 (and a song was written about it much later), is said to still adore watch movements in his free time. There can't be too much of the latter, as over the years he has taken on serious responsibilities not only as a songwriter and singer, but also as an actor, comedian, director and producer.

He already had a band at the age of 18, as he was very interested in music outside of his classes, and he couldn't escape the influence of Elvis Presley for a long time, which is clearly visible from the first period of his work. This band was the Rock Boys, with whom he performed at various events for years, and in 1957 they had already made their first festival appearance.

The Sanremo Festival was a logical stage in his life - an interesting addition is that the first time he was still doing his military service, so he needed a special leave of absence to participate, which was signed by the then Minister of Defense, Giulio Andreotti. Soon the records and successes came, which made his name known not only in Italy. In 1960, for example, he was seen in the famous Fellini film ‘La dolce vita’.

From the 1960s onwards, he often appeared with Mina, the also popular Italian singer, with whom he remained friends and worked together for decades. Countless entertainment shows were made based on their comic scenes, which of course also included songs. Despite the fact that many people believed them to be a couple, Celentano’s wife since 1964 (!) has been singer-actress Claudia Mori, with whom he also appeared in several films and raised three children. Apart from a short period spent apart, the couple are almost inseparable, and they also carry out their production activities through a joint company (Clan Celentano).

Celentano himself later, during the 70s and 80s, could boast of numerous film successes, and during his career so far he has released around 40 albums.

Later – in addition to becoming an enthusiastic animal rights activist, which he also emphasizes with his vegetarian diet – he also brought his religious views to the fore and often got political – for which he received countless attacks.
We last saw him in Sanremo in 2012, when he sang the song ‘Ti penso e cambia il mondo’ with Gianni Morandi. This is a big deal because the two singers did not speak to each other for many years due to their political views – fortunately the feud has subsided, and the two great old men enriched the festival audience with a truly great experience.

We hope that those who didn't know Celentano got a brief glimpse of his work, and those who do know him, we brought back a few nice tunes or memories.

Let me also introduce a personal favorite recording here, at the end of the article, where we can see the star on stage with Eros Ramazzotti. Two greats, no question about it.