Alberto Rabagliati
Encyclopedia
Alberto Rabagliati was an Italian
singer.
.
In 1927 he moved to Hollywood as the winner of a Rudolph Valentino
look-alike contest. He later recalled: "For someone like me, who had seen no more than Lake Como
or Monza cathedral
so far, finding myself on board a luxury steamer with three cases full of clothes, a few rolls of dollars, gran-duchesses and countesses flirting with me was something extraordinary".
He remained four years in America
, but his career as an actor
never took off. During his stay he had however the opportunity to get to know new musical genres such as jazz
, swing
, scat singing
.
he became a singer. After a brief experience with Pippo Barzizza
's orchestra
, he joined the Lecuona Cuban Boys
, a Cuba
n band. He performed with his face painted black and made a hit with the song "Maria la O".
While with the Lecuona Cuban Boys he met Giovanni D'Anzi
who proposed him an audition with Italian state radio
station EIAR
. Rabagliati soon became a radio star, and in 1941 had his own radio show. Every Monday night EIAR aired Canta Rabagliati ("Rabagliati sings"), with the singer presenting his most famous songs such as "Ma l'amore no", "Mattinata fiorentina", "Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina
", "Silenzioso slow", "Bambina innamorata".
He was so popular that his name was sung in the lyrics of La famiglia canterina, Quando canta Rabagliati, Quando la radio. At a time when anything foreign was banned, the idol Rabagliati was allowed to maintain his American-influenced style. Indeed, the Fascist
government decided to make use of his popularity by choosing his song "Sposi (c'è una casetta piccina)" ("Wed (there's a little home)") as their demographic campaign anthem.
, Montecarlo and Il vedovo
. In 1966, he starred in The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
.
Rabagliati was active also on the stage until the mid 1950s. He performed in musical revues and comedies by Garinei and Giovannini.
His last public appearance was in 1974 as a guest in the TV show Milleluci hosted by Mina
and Raffaella Carrà
. Soon afterward he died of cerebral thrombosis
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer.
Early career
Rabagliati was born in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
In 1927 he moved to Hollywood as the winner of a Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
look-alike contest. He later recalled: "For someone like me, who had seen no more than Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
or Monza cathedral
Monza Cathedral
The Duomo of Monza often known in English as Monza Cathedral is the main religious building of Monza, near Milan, in northern Italy...
so far, finding myself on board a luxury steamer with three cases full of clothes, a few rolls of dollars, gran-duchesses and countesses flirting with me was something extraordinary".
He remained four years in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but his career as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
never took off. During his stay he had however the opportunity to get to know new musical genres such as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, swing
Swing (genre)
Swing music, also known as swing jazz or simply swing, is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States...
, scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
.
Singing
Back in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
he became a singer. After a brief experience with Pippo Barzizza
Pippo Barzizza
Pippo Barzizza was an Italian Maestro and composer.Born in Genoa, he conducted the Italian radio's orchestra between 1935 and 1943, returned at work about in 1960s, after a long pause after the World War II....
's orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, he joined the Lecuona Cuban Boys
Lecuona Cuban Boys
The Lecuona Cuban Boys was a popular Cuban orchestra which toured the world for over forty years.The band was founded by Ernesto Lecuona, whose role was that of a patron-entrepreneur. He did not actually play with the band, but sometimes gave a piano recital before the band played. The core of the...
, a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n band. He performed with his face painted black and made a hit with the song "Maria la O".
While with the Lecuona Cuban Boys he met Giovanni D'Anzi
Giovanni D'Anzi
Giovanni D'Anzi was an Italian songwriter.D'Anzi was born in Milan. In 1935 he wrote music and lyrics of "O mia bela Madonina" , a song dedicated to his hometown which soon became very popular and a sort of unofficial city anthem.Between 1930s and 1950s Giovanni D'Anzi and Alfredo Bracchi formed a...
who proposed him an audition with Italian state radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station EIAR
Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche
The Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche was the only public service broadcaster in Italy and the only one allowed to do so.-History:...
. Rabagliati soon became a radio star, and in 1941 had his own radio show. Every Monday night EIAR aired Canta Rabagliati ("Rabagliati sings"), with the singer presenting his most famous songs such as "Ma l'amore no", "Mattinata fiorentina", "Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina
Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina)
Botch-a-Me is a popular song, written in 1941. The original Italian version by Alberto Rabagliati was written by Riccardo Morbelli and Luigi Astore . English lyrics were written by Eddie Stanley. Baciami in Italian means kiss me.The song was popularized by Rosemary Clooney in 1952...
", "Silenzioso slow", "Bambina innamorata".
He was so popular that his name was sung in the lyrics of La famiglia canterina, Quando canta Rabagliati, Quando la radio. At a time when anything foreign was banned, the idol Rabagliati was allowed to maintain his American-influenced style. Indeed, the Fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
government decided to make use of his popularity by choosing his song "Sposi (c'è una casetta piccina)" ("Wed (there's a little home)") as their demographic campaign anthem.
Acting
His fame as a singer helped his acting career restart. From 1940 to 1965 he starred in some twenty movies, including The Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot Contessa
The Barefoot Contessa is a 1954 film about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien....
, Montecarlo and Il vedovo
Il vedovo
Il Vedovo is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi.-Plot:Alberto Nardi is a Roman businessman who fancies himself a man of great capabilities, but whose factory tethers perennially on the brink of catastrophe.Alberto is married to a rich and successful businesswoman from Milan,...
. In 1966, he starred in The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't is a 1966 film that stars Rossano Brazzi and Paul Tripp. The movie had traditional December airings on Home Box Office during the 1970s and early 1980s. The title in Italian is known as 'Natale che quasi non fu'....
.
Rabagliati was active also on the stage until the mid 1950s. He performed in musical revues and comedies by Garinei and Giovannini.
His last public appearance was in 1974 as a guest in the TV show Milleluci hosted by Mina
Mina (singer)
Anna Maria Quaini, Grand Officer , known as Mina, is an Italian pop singer. She was a staple of Italian television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s known for her three-octave vocal range, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an...
and Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà , in Italy often simply known as la Carrà and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress...
. Soon afterward he died of cerebral thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
.