Angelo is an Italian and Greek masculine given name meaning "angel", or "messenger". Angelo is also an Italian surname that has many variations: Angeli (disambiguation), Angela (disambiguation), De Angelis, D'Angelo, Angelini, Angelino (disambiguation), Angelina (disambiguation), Angelucci, Angeloni, Angeletti (disambiguation).

Angelo as a given name may refer to:

• Angelo Badalamenti (born 1937), American composer
• Angelo Bertelli (1921–1999), American football quarterback
• Angelo Bronzino (1503–1572), Italian Mannerist painter
• Angelo Bruno (1910–1980), American mobster
• Angelo Buono, Jr. (1934–2002), American serial killer
• Angelo Cataldi (born 1951), American sportcaster based in Philadelphia
• Angelo Dundee (1921–2012), American boxing trainer
• Angelo Fusco (born 1956), Provisional Irish Republican Army member
• Angelo Garcia (born 1976), Puerto Rican Singer (ex-member of Menudo)
• Angelo Lano, American FBI agent who headed the Watergate investigation
• Angelo Mariani (disambiguation)
  • Angelo Mariani (conductor) (1821–1873), Italian conductor and composer
• Angelo Mathews, Sri Lankan cricketer
• Angelo Mosca (1938–present), wrestler and Canadian Football Player
• Angelo Ambrogini Poliziano (1454–1494), Florentine classical scholar and poet
• Angelo Secchi (1818–1878), Italian astronomer
• Angelo Torres, cartoonist and caricaturist
• Angelo Oliviero Olivetti (1874–1931), Italian revolutionary syndicalist

As a surname it may refer to:

• Ernest Angelo (born 1934), Texas businessman and politician
• Jeff Angelo, Iowa politician
• Jerry Angelo, Chicago Bears general manager
• D'Angelo (born 1974), American musician
• Beverly D'Angelo (born 1951), American film actress and singer
• Henry Angelo (1760–1839), British fencing master
• Mark Angelo, Canadian conservationist
• Michelangelo

Spellings[link]

The following forenames are related to the forename Angelo:

• Greek: Aνγελος (Ángelos)
• Italian: Angelo
• Portuguese: Ângelo
• Spanish: Ángel

Places[link]

• San Angelo, city in Texas, United States of America
• Santo Angelo, Brazilian city

Other uses[link]

• Angelo, a character in the William Shakespeare play Measure for Measure
• Angelo, a character in the William Shakespeare play The Comedy of Errors
• Angelo (song), a UK number one single by Brotherhood of Man
• Avenging Angelo, a film
• Angelo (poem), a poem by Pushkin
• Angelo (The Pretender), a character in the TV series the Pretender, portrayed by Paul Dillon
• Locations in Rome, Italy
• Castel Sant'Angelo, a castle in Rome
• Ponte Sant'Angelo, a bridge in Rome
• Angelo A fictional character in Dragon Quest VIII
• Locations in San Angelo, Texas, USA
  • Angelo State University
  • San Angelo Colts

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Francesco Renga
Ambra Angiolini and Francesco Renga in 2009
Background information
Born	(1968-06-12) June 12, 1968 (age 44)
Origin	Udine, Italy
Genres	Pop, Pop rock, Soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1986–present
Website	www.francescorenga.it

Pierfrancesco Renga (born June 12, 1968 in Udine, Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He won the Sanremo Music Festival in 2005 with the song Angelo.^[1] He also took part to Sanremo Music Festival in 2009 with Uomo senza età^[2] and in 2012 with La tua bellezza.^[3]

Discography[link]

Album[link]

• 2001 Francesco Renga (ITA #46)
• 2002 Tracce (ITA #6 - Platinum 100,000+)
• 2004 Camere con vista (ITA #4 - 2X Platinum 200,000+)
• 2007 Ferro e cartone (ITA #1 - Platinum 120,000+)
• 2009 Orchestraevoce(ITA #7 - Platinum - 100,000+)
• 2010 Un giorno bellissimo (ITA #7)
• 2012 Fermoimmagine

References[link]

Michael Angelo Batio
Background information
Also known as	Mike Batio, MAB
Born	(1956-02-23) February 23, 1956 (age 56) Chicago, Illinois, USA
Genres	Instrumental rock, neo-classical metal, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, jazz
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, columnist
Instruments	Guitar, bass, keyboard, vocals, drums
Years active	1984–present
Labels	M.A.C.E.
Associated acts	Nitro, Holland, Jim Gillette, C4, The Michael Angelo Band, Katrina Johansson, Bill Peck, Dave Reffett
Website	www.angelo.com
Notable instruments
Dean MAB1 Armorflame Dean MAB1 Lazer Dean MAB2 Aviator Dean Speed Of Light Double-Guitar Quad Guitar

Michael Angelo Batio ( /ˈbeɪti.oʊ/;^[1] born February 23, 1956) also known as Mike Batio or MAB, is a guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. His work has encompassed many genres, notably metal and its subgenres. Batio was voted the "No. 1 Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003.^[2][3] He was also listed as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" by Guitar World Magazine, for which he wrote the column Time to Burn, and one of the "20 Greatest Shredders of All Time" by Total Guitar Magazine, both in April 2008. Batio also won the 2009 Guitar World Magazine Readers Choice award in the "Best Shredder" category. In November 2011, Michael won the Guitar World Magazine Readers Choice Award and was voted the "Fastest Guitarist of All Time." Over 440,000 votes were cast.

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Michael Angelo Batio started playing the piano and composing music at the age of five, and first played guitar at the age of ten, reportedly playing faster than his teacher within two years.^{[citation needed]} At the age of fourteen he started playing jazz guitar, and within two years he had won the Chicago-based "All-State Jazz Solo Award". He attended Northeastern Illinois University and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition. After he had graduated, Batio looked to become a session guitarist in his hometown. When he asked for a job at a nearby studio, he was given a piece of music and simply asked to play it. He managed to play it adding his own improvisations and fills, making him the studio's primary call-out guitarist.^[4] As a session player, Batio recorded music for such companies as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, United Airlines, United Way, McDonalds, Beatrice Corp. and the Chicago Wolves hockey team.

Holland, the Michael Angelo Band and Nitro (1984–1993)[link]

Batio began his recording career in 1984 when he joined new Chicago-based heavy metal band Holland, an eponymous project set up by ex-Steppenwolf singer Tommy Holland. With major label Atlantic Records, the band released their debut studio album in 1985 entitled Little Monsters, which saw moderate success in the United States. The band split up soon after, and a compilation of material from the Little Monsters sessions, Wake Up the Neighbourhood, was released in 1999 through Batio's label M.A.C.E. Music.

After the breakup of Holland, Batio started his own eponymous band with singer Michael Cordet, bassist Allen Hearn and drummer Paul Cammarata. The Band did not release any albums, though three of their songs appeared on the 1998 Nitro compilation Gunnin' for Glory.^[5]

In 1987 Batio joined glam metal artist Jim Gillette on his solo album Proud to Be Loud, before founding the band Nitro with bassist T.J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. In 1989 Nitro released their first studio album, O.F.R., from which they released two singles, "Freight Train" and "Long Way From Home". The music video for "Freight Train", which received much airplay on MTV, was notable for featuring Batio playing his now famous 'Quad Guitar', a notion which FHM Magazine voted one of the "50 most outrageous moments in rock history".^[6]

1987 was also the year Batio released his first instructional video with "Star Licks Productions" as part of the "Masters Series" and was one of the first recognized rock guitarists to make the jump into video instructional material. This video was the very first "shred" instructional program showing many modern guitar concepts for the first time.

By 1992, Comet and Racer had been replaced by Johnny Thunder and Ralph Carter respectively, and it was in this year that they released their second studio album entitled Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S.. Included on the album was a cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever", which the band also recorded a music video for. Nitro disbanded shortly afterwards.

Solo career (1993–present)[link]

In April 1993, Batio founded his own record label, M.A.C.E. Music, which became one of the first labels online in 1996.^[7] He used this label when he began recording his first album, No Boundaries, which he released in 1995. Batio's second studio release was Planet Gemini in 1997, which showed a very progressive, experimental side to his playing. In 1999, Batio released his second instructional video, Jam With Angelo, which came with his third studio album as a companion CD: Tradition. This was quickly followed by a fourth full-length album in 2000, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity, which was credited to "Mike Batio and Rob Ross", the latter being the drummer.

In 2001, Batio released a CD with his band "C4," covering songs from his Holland years and including the original "Call to Arms." It was his 1st all vocal CD since recording with Nitro.

In 2003, Batio released his first DVD, the title release in his Speed Kills series, followed by the second, Speed Lives, in 2004. It was also in this year that Batio released a compilation album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2, which featured songs from Tradition and Lucid Intervals.

In 2005, Michael released his highly anticipated cover/tribute/studio album, Hands Without Shadows, which featured guest appearances from such musicians as Mark Tremonti (of Alter Bridge fame), Rudy Sarzo (of Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio fame) and virtuoso newcomer Bill Peck. In 2006, DVD Speed Kills 2 was released, in addition to the first in the new Hands Without Shadows series, Performance. Batio's latest release came in 2007, when his first two albums - No Boundaries and Planet Gemini - were remixed and remastered with additional drums, for an album entitled 2 X Again; the title of a song from the first album. Angelo also released three DVDs in 2007: Speed Kills 3, 25 Jazz Progressions and MAB Jam Session.

In 2011, Michael debuted his multi media show "Hands Without Shadows - A Tribute to Rock Guitar" in Las Vegas. In 2012 Michael is touring the world with this show. It is a chronological tribute to rock guitar.

Film appearance[link]

In 1991, Batio's guitar work appeared in the low budget horror film Shock 'Em Dead, recording tracks for the soundtrack as well as playing the guitar parts of the demonically possessed main character Angel Martin in close ups.^[8]

Style[link]

Batio is ambidextrous, a skill he taught himself. This enables him to play two guitars at the same time either in synchronization or using separate harmonies. This includes playing completely different parts at once, as shown while playing his famous Double-Guitar. Though naturally left-handed, he plays as right-handed when playing one guitar. Batio invented and often demonstrates the "Over-Under" technique,^[9] which involves flipping his fretting hand over and under the neck rapidly, playing the guitar both regularly and like a piano.

Batio gave lessons to guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame) while at college. Morello has credited MAB with teaching him in a feature article in Guitar World Magazine in 2005. Michael also gave lessons to guitarist Mark Tremonti after Creed broke up and Tremonti wanted to learn more techniques. Batio is also widely known for his extremely fast and well articulated alternate picking, which he credits to his use of anchoring, or planting the fingers he does not use while picking on the body of the guitar to restrict motion.

Batio has an advanced knowledge of music theory, having a deep understanding of complex scale combinations and time signatures which assist him in his compositions. Batio has cited F-sharp minor and F-sharp phrygian dominant as one of his favorite keys. He has described F sharp minor as a "demonic" key, giving a dark, evil sound.

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

Batio has an extensive collection of guitars, which he has collected since the 1980s including a Dave Bunker "Touch guitar" (double neck with both bass and guitar, similar to the Chapman Stick), a mint condition 1968 Fender Mustang, a 1986 Fender Stratocaster 1962 re-issue and several other vintage and custombuilt guitars. Among his custom made guitars is a 29 fret guitar made of military grade Aluminium, which makes the guitar very light. He stated in a Guitar World Magazine video interview (featuring his recording studio in 2008) that he has "around 67 guitars" and he humorously added that he would like 67 more.^[10] Batio currently has over 100 guitars in his collection. For live performances Batio is an exclusive user of Dean Guitars, both electric and acoustic.^[11] In 2007 he designed and developed a signature guitar with Dean, known as the MAB1 Armorflame.^[12] Another signature piece of equipment Batio developed is the "MAB Hands Without Shadows" pickup, which he uses in his Double Guitar when touring. The pickup is specially designed for shred guitar, and provides the clean tone Batio is accustomed to. The Armorflame, Batio's signature guitar, uses EMG 81, 85 and SA pickups, as his signature Dimarzio pickups were still being developed at that time.

Earlier on in his career when he was first endorsed by Dean guitars he also embraced Dean's tradition of popularising Dimarzio pickups and had used Dimarzios in his guitars. These include the Dimarzio PAF, Super Distortion (sometimes using the Super Distortion both in the neck and bridge position, as he did in his Gibson Charvel Circuit Board double guitar. This was the main setup during the recording of No Boundaries). Batio has also used pickups of other brands including Seymour Duncan, namely the Pearly Gates and JB models and also Bill Lawrence pickups. Currently other than using EMGs in his signature guitar he also has a collection of the other brand pickups in his Dean limited edition collectors' models, such as Dimarzio Custom Super Distortions (based on the Super 2 and Super Distortion) in his USA Dean Time capsule Blue Burst ML and the Seymour Duncan pair he used (refer to above) in his USA Dean Collectors edition Hardtail.^[13]

The Double-Guitar

Batio was the inventor of the Double-Guitar, a V-shaped, twin-neck guitar which can be played both right- and left-handed. The first version of this instrument was actually two separate guitars simply played together, as opposed to being one entity. A Flying V was fastened to a snare drum in a left-handed position, while another one was strapped around his shoulder. The next version of the guitar, as designed by Batio and guitar technician Kenny Breit, featured a flight case latch attached to the back of each guitar, which could reportedly be assembled in five seconds. By far his most famous and definitely his most photographed double guitar is his USA Dean Mach 7 Jet Double-Guitar along with its custom Anvil flight case.^[14]

When the Double-Guitar was first used in concert, Batio noticed that the guitars created a lot of feedback when played together. He decided that he needed to invent a way to 'dampen' the strings when both guitars were played at the same time, hence the invention of the "MAB String Dampener", which is now available to buy from M.A.C.E. Music.^[15]

The Double-Guitar was recently named as the 8th "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.^[16] His iconic Dean 'Jet' Double-Guitar has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and was put on permanent display in February 2012. This guitar was built by Mike Lipe for Dean Guitars.^[17]

The Quad Guitar

As well as the Double Guitar, Michael Angelo also invented and designed the Quad Guitar.^[18] The guitar was originally built in conjunction with Gibson, and built by Wayne Charvel in California. The top two guitars have seven strings, while the bottom two have the regular six. The first Quad, as used in the video for Nitro's "Freight Train", was stolen in El Paso, Texas after the second show of Nitro's O.F.R. tour. When Batio was performing in November 2004, a young fan named Simon Jones and his father turned up with a guitar case which held inside the two top guitars of the Quad, as found by Mick Seymour. Dean designed and had Mike Lipe build a new Quad Guitar in 2008.

The Quad Guitar was recently named as the 2nd "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.^[19]

Effects[link]

Batio's effects pedals are exclusively made by T-Rex, with whom he has also developed a signature model, the "MAB Overdrive".^[20] In his years with Nitro, Batio used Boss overdrive (DS-1, SD-1) pedals.

In the studio, Michael also uses the following effects pedals:

Amplification[link]

Batio typically uses Marshall JCM 2000 amps on tour and for newer studio records. In the studio, he also uses the Marshall JMP-1 preamp and Rocktron Chameleon and Voodoo Valve preamps. During his years with Nitro, Batio used Randall amplifiers. He has been an avid Marshall amp user throughout his career and has used the JCM 800 (mostly Jose Arrendondo modified circuitry, very early in his career) and JCM 900 (especially when recording No Boundaries). Batio's cabinet setup consists of 4x12 Marshall cabinets loaded with Celeston vintage 30s and Greenbacks in mono and stereo.

Other equipment[link]

Strings

Batio uses Ernie Ball guitar strings, favouring the .009 to .042 models for soloing and most rhythm guitar parts while thicker gauge strings are used for detuned guitars. The acoustic gauge is normally .010 to .046 or .011 to .052.

Picks

Michael uses black Dunlop Jazz IIIs as his guitar pick of choice, and has used the 'teardrop' shape of pick since he first started playing. Different picks are sometimes used for acoustic work.

Discography[link]

• No Boundaries (1995)
• Holiday Strings (1996)
• Planet Gemini (1997)
• Tradition (1999)
• Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity (2000)
• Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2 (2004)
• Hands Without Shadows (2005)
• 2 X Again (2007)
• Hands Without Shadows 2: Voices (2009)
• Backing Tracks (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official forum
• Michael Angelo Batio at Dean Guitars
• Michael Angelo Batio on Myspace
• Michael Angelo Batio at Encyclopaedia Metallum

Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti, April 28, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti
Born	(1963-10-28) October 28, 1963 (age 48) Rome, Italy
Genres	Adult contemporary, pop, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1981–present
Labels	DDD, Ariola, Norte Records
Website	www.ramazzotti.com

Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963), known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter.^[1] Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish.^[2]

Since 1984, he has released 11 studio albums, one EP, three compilation albums, three live albums, and 37 singles. Ramazzotti has sold over 40 million records in his 25-year career.^[3] His repertory includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Ricardo Arjona, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, and Ricky Martin.^[3]

Ramazzotti first gained international success in 1993, with the release of Tutte storie, which amassed six million album sales and occupied the top five in every country where he had previously released albums.^[3] This success led to a BMG International record contract in 1994.^[3] His audience appeal comes from several factors, including his unique voice, which can be described as somewhat nasal but nevertheless forceful and resonant, and his energetic delivery of catchy, melodic tunes which are often passionate mid-tempo autobiographical ballads, with instrumentation that is rich in soft-rock influence.^[4] Most of his albums have been recorded in both Italian and Spanish.

Biography[link]

Childhood and early beginnings (1963–1981)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963 in Cinecittà, a suburb of Rome, Italy. He was named after Eros, the Greek god of love. He took up playing the guitar at age seven.^[5] As a teenager, he wrote songs with help from his father, Rodolfo, a construction worker and music lover who played piano. He wanted to attend a musical conservatory but failed the admission examination, and started training in bookkeeping, but dropped out.^[3] He occasionally appeared as an extra in films while spending most of his time dreaming of having a career as a pop-star.^[3]

In 1981, Ramazzotti took part in a music contest, Voci Nuove di Castrocaro (new voices of Castrocaro Terme) with the song "Rock 80", which he himself wrote, performing in front of various record label representatives.^[1] Although the contest was won by Zucchero and Fiordaliso, Ramazzotti reached the final and received two votes from Roberto Galanti and Baron Lando Lanni, who represented the recently launched Italian Label DDD (Drogueria di Drugolo). DDD gave Eros his first contract. He moved to Milan with his brother, Marco and his mother, Raffaella, and they initially lived in the same building as the record label company.^[3]

Career breakthrough (1982–1986)[link]

Ramazzotti's first single, "Ad un amico" (To a Friend), was released in 1982, and was not particularly well received.^[6] Soon after, Eros met Renato Brioschi,^[3] who mentored the young artist toward his first success in 1984 at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival. His song, "Terra promessa" (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category, and was subsequently released widely throughout Europe.

In 1985, Ramazzotti again took part in the Sanremo Festival with his song "Una storia importante" (An Important Story), taken from his debut album Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts). While only placing sixth at the festival, "Una storia importante" was released as a single and became a huge hit in many European countries, including France where it sold a million units.^[3] His second album Nuovi eroi (New Heroes), released in 1986, earned two Platinum-awards in Switzerland with over 100,000 sales, and Gold status in Germany with over 250,000 sales.^[7][8] At his third Sanremo Festival appearance in 1986 his memorable single, "Adesso tu" (Now You) from Nuovi eroi won the overall competition.^[6]

Popularity established (1987–1994)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti in the early 1990s

In 1987, Ramazzotti went on a nine-month-long tour after releasing his third album In certi momenti (Sometimes), performing in front of more than a million people.^[1] In certi momenti went Gold in Germany with over 250,000 sales and Platinum in Switzerland with over 50,000 sales, and reached more than 3 million copies worldwide.^[1][7][8] As his career developed, he performed "La Luce Buona Delle Stelle" (The Good Light of the Stars) with Patsy Kensit on November 22, 1987, and released a seven-track mini-album Musica è (Music Is) in May 1988.

His fifth album, In ogni senso (In Every Sense), released in April 1990, attracted more than two hundred journalists from around the world to the album's press conference launch in Venice.^[3] An American record producer, Clive Davis, advised Ramazzotti to hold a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,^[3] and he became the first Italian artist to perform at the renowned concert hall, performing before a sell-out crowd. However, he was later disappointed to learn that most of his audience was of Italian descent, having hoped for a more widespread breakthrough.^[5] During that visit to the USA, Ramazzotti also performed on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.^[5] In ogni senso earned multiple Gold and Platinum album awards around the world, including a Platinum in Germany for over 500,000 sales,^[8] a triple Platinum in Switzerland for over 150,000 sales, and Platinum in the Netherlands for sales of over 100,000 units.^[9][10]

His 1991 double-CD release Eros in Concert was followed by another long tour, including a concert in Barcelona, Spain before 20,000 fans on 4 December, the day of his live CD's release.^[3]

In 1993, he released Tutte storie (All Stories), and he toured in Europe and 15 Latin American countries, where he has released his Spanish language albums. That November, Ramazzotti performed "Cose della vita" (Things of Life) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. Tutte storie entered the Top-5 album list in many countries in Europe including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.^[11] The album earned Ramazzotti four Platinums in Switzerland for sales of over 200,000 units, a Platinum in Germany for sales of over 500,000 units,^[8][9] and Platinum status in many other counties including the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina and Austria.^{[12][13][14][15]} Tutte storie eventually sold six million copies worldwide which played a significant role in helping Ramazzotti get his contract with BMG International.^[3]

Worldwide commercial success (1995–2002)[link]

In the summer of 1995, Ramazzotti participated in the European summer festival along with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. His seven-million-seller album, Dove c'è musica (Where There Is Music) was released on May 13, 1996,^[3] his first completely self-produced album.^[3] On December 5 of the same year, his companion of several years and future wife Michelle Hunziker (Swiss model and television host) gave birth to their daughter, Aurora Sophie.^[3]

In October 1997, he released Eros – Greatest Hits, which contained two new songs, "Quanto amore sei" (How Much Love Are You) and "Ancora un minuto di sole" (Just One More Minute of Sunshine), as well as reworked versions of previous hits including "Musica è" (duet with Andrea Bocelli) and "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" in a duet with Tina Turner. This collection entered the Top-5 in France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, and reached No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, selling 1.2 million units in its first week of release according to BMG International.^{[16][17][18][19]} The album was certified five times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for selling well over five million units in Europe alone.^[20] The album also attained two Latin-type Platinum certifications by RIAA for sales of over 400,000 units in USA.^[21] That year, Ramazzotti was awarded "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[22]

In 1998, he released the live CD Eros Live, which included two duets recorded during the world tour, "Cose della vita-Can’t Stop Thinking of You" featuring Tina Turner, and "That's All I Need to Know-Difenderò" with Joe Cocker, performed in Munich. In 1999, Ramazzotti again collaborated with Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, singing "Nel Cuore Lei" (In Your Heart) for Bocelli's album, Sogno (Dream). The album sold over 10 million albums worldwide, gaining more recognition for Ramazzotti. In 1999, he was again awarded as "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[23] Throughout his career, Ramazzotti has done duets with some very well known artists such as Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Luciano Pavarotti, and Laura Pausini.^[3]

Ramazzotti gained a reputation as a seasoned producer with the album Come fa bene l’amore (Feels good to love) by Gianni Morandi in the beginning of 2000.^[3] That October, he delivered his eighth studio album Stilelibero (Freestyle), which contained a duet with the American diva, Cher, in the song "Più che puoi" (As Much As You Can). The album, the result of a collaboration of several producers including Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels, reached the Top-5 album charts throughout Europe and was certified two times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for sales of over two million units in Europe alone.^[20][24] In the course of the international tour for Stilelibero, Ramazzotti also appeared in eastern European countries including Moscow, Russia where he gave a three-day sold out concerts at Kremlin Palace.^[3]

Continued success (2003–present)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti at Sommarkrysset 2009

On May 30, 2003, Ramazzotti released his ninth studio album, entitled 9. The first single, "Un'emozione per sempre" (An Emotion Forever) was released on 9 May, and was number one in Italy's official single chart for 14 consecutive weeks.^[3] The album, produced along with Claudio Guidetti and Eros’s longtime musical friend Celso Valli, stayed at the No. 1 position for nine weeks in Italy's official album chart.^[3] 9 went on selling 3.5 million copies, 1.1 million of which were sold in Italy alone.^[3] He began his world tour in Ancona, Italy which was set to have 100 dates in front of audiences of up to one million people (56 dates of which were done in Europe in front of 550,000 people).^[3]

On October 28, 2005, Ramazzotti's 10th album Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) was released on the day of his birthday, which he produced together with Claudio Guidetti. The album Calma apparente, which was certified Platinum within a period of just one month after its release for selling over one million copies in Europe,^[25] contains the duet hit single "I Belong to You" with American singer Anastacia, the single went No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany and Switzerland.^[26] Throughout the years, Eros has gained popularity especially in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, and most Spanish-speaking countries.^[4]

More than ten years after Ramazzotti's first compilation album Eros, which has sold total of 7.5 million copies worldwide and has reached No. 1 in many countries including Germany,^[3][19] Ramazzotti released a new double-CD compilation-album e² on October 26, 2007; the first CD contained four new tracks and 14 original songs in a remastered format, and the second CD had 17 redone tracks, and feature artists such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Steve Vai, Jon Spencer. The four unreleased pieces on the e² album include a new international duet "Non siamo soli" (We're Not Alone) which Eros sings along with Latin pop star Ricky Martin. This became the first single taken off the album, and was available for sale on October 5, 2007, reaching the top spot in Italy and entering the top-5 in Switzerland and Spain.^[27][28] In Spain, the Spanish-language version "No estamos solos" was certified four times Platinum for having been downloaded over 80,000 times in Digital format, whereas it was certified six times Platinum for having been downloaded 120,000 in Original Tone format (equivalent to US Master Ringtone).^[28] The single, available both in Italian and Spanish, was written by Ramazzotti and his longtime songwriting partner Claudio Guidetti.^[29]

Ramazzotti's 11-track album, Ali e radici (Wings and Roots), was released on May 22, 2009, produced by Eros himself as well as his long time musical partner Claudio Guidetti; in addition, six tracks on the album are co-produced by Michele Canova who has previously worked with artists such as Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro and Jovanotti.^[30] The first single "Parla con me" ("Talk to Me"), released on 17 May 2009, off his 11th studio album, is a catchy pop song which has peaked at No. 1 in Italy and No. 8 in Switzerland.^[31] The album was available both in a standard-edition as well as in a deluxe-edition, which includes 64-page booklet of photographs, and it entered the Top-5 in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and was number-one in Italy and Switzerland.^[19][32]

During his 25 year career he has sold over 40 million records worldwide.^[3]

Personal life[link]

In his personal life, Ramazzotti remains with only few good friends, mostly due to his conspicuous personality.^[33] Ramazzotti had a poor childhood, and recalls having had limited access to books and general guidance as he grew up:

As a child growing up, there were no books in my parents' home, no suggestions were ever made how to even have a decent conversation, no guidance was provided in search of oneself. The only source of information that I would get from my father was the inappropriate photos of women. The first thing as a support that I received from my father was a guitar after he recognized my passion for music. Nowadays, I try to self educate myself by purchasing good books which I almost never read because I become lazy after glancing at a football game on TV.^[33]

Ramazzotti recalls being extremely shy in the early 1980s before achieving fame:

When I went to Milan to further develop my musical skills, I remember being so shy at the time that I would simply get terrified of going to restaurants all by myself, so I would go without eating throughout my time in Milan.^[33]

Ramazzotti was married from 1998 to 2002 to Swiss model and actress Michelle Hunziker. They have a daughter together, Aurora, who was born on December 5, 1996. His 320-page autobiography, co-written by Luca Bianchini, was published April 13, 2006.^[34]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts) (1985)
• Nuovi eroi (New Heroes) (1986)
• In certi momenti (At Certain Times) (1987)
• Musica è (Music Is) (1988)
• In ogni senso (In Every Sense) (1990)
• Tutte storie (All Stories), (1993)
• Dove c'è musica (Where Music is) (1996)
• Stilelibero (Freestyle) (2000)
• 9 (2003)
• Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) (2005)
• Ali e radici (Wings and Roots) (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Eros in Concert (1991)
• Eros Live (1998)
• 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010 (2010)

Compilation albums[link]

• Eros (1997)
• e² (2007)

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Echo Awards

[edit] Italian Music Awards

Premio Italiano della Musica[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ali e Radici.com
• erosramazzotti.TV international website
• German Official Website
• Eros Ramazzotti Fan Page (USA~Unofficial)
• Biography of Eros Ramazzotti, from RAI International
• Eros Ramazzotti Polish/English Site
• Eros Ramazzotti Russian Site
• Eros Ramazzotti photos and videos
• CZ & SK fanclub
• Label Website