English singer and actor Mal was born 81 years ago as Paul Bradley Couling in Llanfrechfa, Wales, is married and has 2 children.
As a youngster, Mal worked several jobs including as a paperboy, bricklayer and electician, and also was a singer in various groups. In 1963, he created the group ‘Mal and the Spirits’, with whom he released 2 singles. Two years later, Mal formed another band named ‘Mal and the Primitives’ and recorded 4 singles with them.
The band toured different European countries, and whilst they were performing in a club in Soho, they were approached by an Italian club’s owner and an Italian radio and TV presenter who were amongst the public and offered them a contract to perform in Italy. Following this, the group toured Italy and gained instant success, with their debut Italian single ‘Yeeeeeh!’ becoming a big hit. In actual fact, it was Mal who mostly attracted the fans and media, and this leaded to the disbanding of the group.
So Mal decided to stay in Italy for good and embarked on a solo career. He soon released his debut hit single ‘Bambolina’ and then participated in the 19th edition of the San Remo Music Festival i.e. in 1969 with the track ‘Tu sei bella come Sei’. Afterwards, Mal released ‘Pensiero d’Amore’ which is a cover version of the ‘Bee Gees’, ‘I’ve gotta get a message to You’, which topped the Italian charts, remaining in 1st place for 4 weeks.
In 1970 and 1971, Mal competed again in the San Remo Music Festival, and the following year, he performed several concerts in Las Vegas in the US. After some unsuccessful English songs, Mal returned to top the Italian charts with the track ‘Parlami d’Amore Mariu`’ in 1975. Two years later, he had an even bigger hit, ‘Furia’, which was the theme song of the US series ‘Fury’, which aired between 1955 and 1960.
After releasing some unsuccessful English tracks and poor sales, Mal experienced a career decline. He did, however, continue performing in concerts, particularly during the summer months.
His career got back on track in the late 90s, not just as a singer but also as an actor. In fact, Mal had already acted in 6 movies during the 60s and 70s. This time, he starred in the Italian version of ‘Grease’, alongside showgirl Lorella Cuccarini. In the last 2½ decades, Mal released 12 albums, 9 compilations and 7 singles. He also guest appeared as well as participated in several TV shows.
During his long career, Mal received 2 awards.
*Image: no infringement intended. Source: dagospia.com