Zucchero

Born in 1955 in Roncocesi, near Reggio Emilia in Italy, Adelmo Fornaciari is known by the name Zucchero as a singer-songwriter operating at the intersection of blues, soul and Italian pop rock. After beginnings in various local bands in the 1970s, Zucchero emerged in the early 1980s on the national scene, notably thanks to the Festival di Sanremo and his songwriting for other Italian artists. The album 'Blue's' (1987) established a sound combining blues structures, pop choruses and canzone melodies, followed by 'Oro incenso & birra' (1989) and 'Miserere' (1992), the latter marked by a duet with Luciano Pavarotti. Across records from 'Spirito DiVino' (1995) to 'Blue Sugar' (1998), 'Shake' (2001), 'Fly' (2006), 'La session cubana' (2012), 'Black Cat' (2016) and 'D.O.C.' (2019), Zucchero alternates songs in Italian and tracks in English, incorporates gospel, rhythm and blues and sometimes Latin influences, while keeping his writing focused on voice and melody. Collaborations with Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Pavarotti opened his career to an international network, extended by long tours in Europe and the Americas where Zucchero performs both in electric lineups and with formations closer to roots rock.