Italian singer Adelmo Fornaciari, professionally known as Zucchero, was born 68 years ago in Roncocesi, Reggio Emilia, is married and has 3 children. He is also a songwriter, musician and record producer.
At elementary school, his teacher used to call him ‘zucchero’, meaning ‘sugar’, and that is where his stage name derives from. As a youngster, he was a goalkeeper, choir singer and church organ player. During his teenage years, Zucchero started showing interest in music, particularly soul, rhythm and blues. He went on to learn several instruments and started writing songs as well, plus playing R & B with friends.
Zucchero’s music career began in 1970 when he performed with various bands and concurrently studied veterinary medicine, however, he quit school as he wanted to fulfil his wish to become a professional music artist. From the end of the 70s to mid 80s, Fornaciari composed a few tracks for other artists, but was upset due to the lack of success which was expected. In view of this, he travelled to the USA, formed a band with whom he recorded 2 albums which featured successful hit singles like ‘Donne’, ‘Rispetto’ and ‘Come al sole all’improvviso’.
The 1987 album ‘Blue’s’ marked a breakthrough in Zucchero’s career, particularly in his native Italy and other European countries. It includes the hits ‘Con le Mani’ and ‘Senza una Donna’, amongst others. Fornaciari also collaborated with numerous other artists like Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Sting, Bryan Adams, Paul Young, Peter Gabriel, etc. Fame continued to grow over the years with Zucchero embarking on several international tours to promote his work. He frequently performed for charity, particularly those institutions supporting children, the environment and animals.
To date, Zucchero had 29 albums and over 60 singles and more than 60 million record sales globally. Amongst the many awards received, Fornaciari won 9 Wind Music, 2 World Music and 6 IFPI Europe Platinum. He was also given the honour of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
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