Nino Ferrer

Italian-French jazz, rock, R.& B. singer and songwriter (born 15.08.1934, Genova, Italy; died 13.08.1998, Quercy Blanc, Saint-Cyprien Lot, Montcuq, France). As a young man excellent draftsman and painter on Dali' style, but became very famous with the music. In the 50's plays double bass and banjo on the side of little French myth Richard Bennett and Bill Coleman. Then he tries his hand as a singer with a warm and roca voice - on the type of the great Afro-American singers - making him famous all over the world, especially France and Italy. Poet and musician was an author capable of graceful text nonsense with irresistible melodies & rhythms. His most famous song is undoubtedly [i"Je Veux Etre Noir" (La Pelle Nera >The Black Skin)[/i by the controversial anti-racism; then writes another R & B anti-war song titled [i"Il Re d'Inghilterra" (The King of England)[/i. He also writes ecological songs without going into commonplace as [i"Le Sud" (Il Sud > The South)[/i and [i"La Campagna" (The Country)[/i, a little 'escape from the city and its neurosis, as had done by writing [i"The Cornichons" (Il Baccalà > The Cod)[/i. In 1986 he was appointed by the French Government [i"Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres"[/i in 1989 obtained French citizenship. His last appearance was in Italy in 1997 in a Red Ronnie TV program.