Folli Riccardo is an Italian singer and musician whose songs reached their peak in the 1980s, winner of the San Remo Festival.
Before career
Riccardo Fogli was born on October 21 in 1947 in the Italian region of Tuscany in the province of Pisa. Having barely completed his secondary education, Riccardo leaves his native land and gets a job as a locksmith in Piaggio, in a company that produces scooters and motorcycles. His father also worked in it.
Experience grew, and by the age of 16, Riccardo had become a first-class worker. Colleagues considered him an integral part of the team, respected him. Riccardo's relatives foresaw him a brilliant career at the factory. Mother dreamed of getting her son a higher education.
However, Riccardo Fogli did not like the work at the factory very much. He had a greater passion for music. The future musician learned to play the guitar, for which he saved up for a long time and diligently, as well as to sing. He was inspired by his music by the British band "The Beatles", which was popular in Italy and not only. After the appearance of "The Beatles," every second wanted to become a musician, but this requires a diligence that Riccardo did not have.
At first, Fogli played for relatives and friends. Only his mother actively supported him. The rest of those around him considered the hobby frivolous, did not imagine Fogli as a musician, even though he soon received little money from the guitar, performing in evening establishments and restaurants.
Over time, the passion for music finally took over the factory worker, and he decided to take a chance. Riccardo quit his job and moved to the capital …
Musician career
The first five years in the capital were difficult for the musician. There were many Italian musicians on the stage, the competition was high and Riccardo's first compositions went almost unnoticed.
In 1964, Fogli joins the Slenders group. After working in it for only two years, the musician moved to the Pooh group, performing light rock, in which he became the vocalist. Riccardo gained experience and left the band in 1973 to pursue a solo career. The musician is on good terms with his former colleagues and communicates with them to this day. After he left, they appeared on stage several times with the song "Giorni cantati" ("Days when we sang together").
In 1973, Riccardo Fogli released his first solo album "Ciao amore come stai" ("Hello, love, how are you?"), And three years later the world saw his second album called "Riccardo Fogli". The song "Mondo" ("Peace"), which entered the second album, became a hit.
The first four albums, the musician was looking for himself in different genres and styles. In 1979, his fifth album, entitled "Che ne sai" ("What do you know about it"), was released, in which his final formation takes place.
In 1981, the Italian's performance with the song Malinconia ("Sadness") was broadcast for the first time on Soviet television. This was the beginning of the popularity of Folya in the USSR.
In 1982, the singer received the Golden Gondola award. The song Malinconia reached number two on the Italian charts, holding a record 17 consecutive weeks. Album "Campione", which included this, as well as 7 more new songs, hits the Italian hit parade, reaching 17th place. In the same year, an equally significant event for Fogli takes place - his participation in the San Remo festival with the song "Storie di tutti i giorni" ("Everyday Stories"). The performance brings Riccardo a victory.
Victory brings a lot to the musician. Folli Riccardo is becoming popular in Japan and Europe. The artist is invited to represent Italy at Eurovision with the song "Per Lucia" ("For Lucia"). However, Riccardo took only 11th place.
In July 1985, Fogli first came to the USSR, and performed with great success in Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. In the same year, a film entitled "A Story of Several Days" was released from the Soviet studio, dedicated to the tour of Fogli Riccardo.
In 1985, 1989 and 1990, Folli performed with great success in San Remo. In 1988 he came to the USSR for the second time and again appeared on stage, gaining new fans.
Personal life
In 1971, Fogli married the pop singer Viola Valentino. The marriage turned out to be strong and lasted more than 20 years, after which it ended. The couple had no children.
Since 1992, the musician has lived for 14 years in a de facto marriage with actress Stephanie Brassi. The couple had a son, Alessandro Siegfrido, he is now 25 years old.
Five years after breaking up, Fogli married Karin Trentini on June 12, 2010. Karin is twice younger than her husband. In 2012, the couple had a daughter, Marie. The marriage still exists.
Folli Riccardo now
In 2015, Fogli returned to the group "Pooh". For more than forty years, colleagues have had excellent relations with each other. In 2016, the Reunion tour dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the musical group took place. The singer also sometimes visits Russia, although he admits to journalists that he is hard on the Russian climate.
Fogli rarely removes clips for musical works, the listeners do not require this and are quite content with the recording. The musician tours Europe less and less.
In 2017, an album was released, recorded with Robie Facchinetti. The joint performances with Pooh have come to an end, as the singer announced on December 31. At the same time, Fogli told reporters about the release of the book of memoirs.
