LUIGI TENCO

In the early ‘60s a new music style developed in Italy to be more precise, in Genova and its suburbs. This new style became popular as " La Scuola Genovese " and had several representatives such as Gino Paoli, Fabrizio De Andre', Bruno Lauzi and, of course, Luigi Tenco .

Luigi was born in Cassine, not too far from Torino , on March 21 st , 1938.He never knew his father. Rumors, in fact, were that he was born subsequent to an extramarital relationship of his mother Teresa. Later, in 1948, with his mother and his older brother Valentino, Luigi moved to Genova.

During the high school years, he became a great fan of jazz music and in 1953 co-founded with his best friend Bruno Lauzi the " Jelly Roll Morton Boys Band, " and in those days also met Gino Paoli and Fabrizio De Andre'. After a few years spent as a saxophone player in many bands, in 1958 Luigi Tenco made his official debut as a singer, hiding his identity with pseudonyms such as Gigi Mai, Gordon Cliff, Dick Ventuno. The very first album under his real name came out in 1962 and was published by Ricordi Records. The unusual and progressive nature of his music was obvious from the outset in tracks like " Cara maestro, " where it is pointed out how men in school or in church are not all the same, while the song " Io sì " hints to physical rather than matrimonial love with an outspokenness that had no precedent. Both tracks were censored by RAI (the Italian national tv ). The album also included other masterpieces like " Angela " and " Mi Sono I nnamorato Di Te " (I've fallen in love with you ).Unfortunately the album didn't break through, but Tenco was not ready to give up.

Not yet...

In 1963 he left Ricordi Records and joined Jolly label. For the new record company he alternated songs with a strong social message, as the bitter " Ragazzo mio, " with more light-hearted yet still very intense works like " Vedrai, vedrai. " Censorship, both direct and indirect, continued to take its toll. Therefore his album published in 1965 did not contain any particularly daring tracks. Songs like " Vita sociale ,” " Vita familiar, " and " La ballata della moda " appeared only as singles or were not released at all (they will see the light only after his demise). In 1966 he signed a contract for RCA, and this was the year of his recording masterpiece: the album " Tenco. " Although the raised tones of protest were certainly present with songs like " Io sono uno " and " Ognuno è libero " (Everyone is free), the unforgettable tracks were those about ended love like " Lontano lontano " (which sold 35,000 copies itself) and incurable solitude as " Un giorno dopo l'altro. " Luigi Tenco was finally experiencing a taste of success; therefore, he decided to take part in the Sanremo Song Festival in 1967 together with French singer Dalida (rumors were that Luigi and Dalida had a love story going on). The song Tenco presented, " Ciao amore ciao, " full of literary affiliations, was not admitted to the final evening of the contest. Frustrated and furious, right after his performance, Luigi left the Ariston Theather (where the festival takes place) and went back to his hotel room and eventually committed suicide. Circumstances have never been entirely cleared up, and that night, January 27, 1967 , the competition continued regardless and was won by the veteran Claudio Villa, (indicative of a very conservative outlook). Tenco was buried in Ricaldone. At the funeral, a desolate Fabrizio De André remarked "...not one singer sent a flower...". In 1974 the " Luigi Tenco Award " was instituted and has been held ever since in Sanremo. Very significant is the fact that on February 15 th , 2006 the Italian Department of Justice wanted Tenco's body to be exhumed for further investigations. Luigi's brother, Valentino Tenco, always stated that Luigi would have never committed suicide. Hopefully one day we will know what really happened that night of January 27 th , 1967 .

Ci vediamo ad Agosto!