Emilio Pericoli(1928-2013)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Emilio Pericoli was an Italian pop singer, guitarist and pianist,
popular in the early
1960's. In his youth, he was briefly engaged as a vocalist in a dance band. He also harboured aspirations to become a dramatic actor and appeared on stage with Isa Barzizza's
company in the love story "Valentina". He also appeared in a few small
film roles, but this did not lead to a full-time acting career.
Instead, in 1959, Pericoli was signed by Ricordi Records for a
compilation of classic Italian/Neapolitan songs, including "Anema e
core". His biggest hit, however, turned out to be a cover version of
the
Betty Curtis/Luciano Tajoli
number "Al Di La", 1961 winner at the San Remo Festival. "Al Di La" was
subsequently used by Hollywood as the leitmotif for the Warner Brothers
movie Rome Adventure (1962),
starring Suzanne Pleshette and
Troy Donahue. Pericoli performed the song
with a small combo in a suitably romantic nightclub setting. Resulting
airplay in the U.S. moved the song up to sixth in the Billboards pop
charts.
In 1962, Pericoli entered the San Remo Festival in collaboration with songwriter Tony Renis and achieved additional fame with his rendition of "Quando, Quando, Quando". The following year, he made up for not winning this event with a bona fide number one entry, "Uno Per Tutte", also written by Renis. After his singing career petered out in the mid-1960's, Pericoli briefly returned to acting and then faded from the scene.
In 1962, Pericoli entered the San Remo Festival in collaboration with songwriter Tony Renis and achieved additional fame with his rendition of "Quando, Quando, Quando". The following year, he made up for not winning this event with a bona fide number one entry, "Uno Per Tutte", also written by Renis. After his singing career petered out in the mid-1960's, Pericoli briefly returned to acting and then faded from the scene.
