Francesco De Gregori

Born in Rome in 1951, Francesco De Gregori established himself from the early 1970s in the renewal of the Italian singer‑songwriter tradition, after making his debut on the Folkstudio stage, a central hub of Roman musical life. His writing develops at the crossroads of folk, pop rock and a tradition of very Italian narrative song, with lyrics often allusive, populated by characters, fragments of history and images of daily life. After Theorius Campus with Antonello Venditti in 1972, Francesco De Gregori began a solo career with Alice non lo sa in 1973, then Francesco De Gregori in 1974, before reaching a wider audience with Rimmel in 1975. The rest of his discography, from Bufalo Bill in 1976 to Titanic in 1982, Scacchi e tarocchi in 1985, Canzoni d’amore in 1992, Amore nel pomeriggio in 2001, Pezzi in 2005, Sulla strada in 2012, or Pastiche in 2024 with Checco Zalone, shows a continuity of writing and a constant attention to acoustic arrangements, rock inflections and popular forms. Over the decades, Francesco De Gregori has also pursued many collaborative projects with Lucio Dalla, Giovanna Marini, Ron, Antonello Venditti or around Bob Dylan’s repertoire, while remaining very present on stage, from clubs to large arenas, in a sober register where the voice, narration and song remain at the forefront.