Mina (sangster)

Mina Anna Maria Mazzini,^[3] OMRI (25 Mairch 1940-), kent as Mina, is ane o the maist successfu Italian sangsters o aw time. She wis a staple o Italian televeesion variety shows^[4] an a dominant figur in Italian pop muisic frae the mid-1960s tae mid-1970s,^[5] kent for her three-octave vocal range,^[6] the agility o her soprano vyce,^[6] an her image as an emancipatit wumman.^[7]

In performance, Mina combined several modren styles wi tradeetional Italian melodies an swing muisic, which made her the maist versatile pop sangster in Italian muisic.^[4] Mina dominatit the Italian charts for fifteen years and reached an unsurpassed level o popularity in Italy.^[5] She haes scored 77 albums an 71 singles on the Italian chairts.^[8][9]

Mina's TV appearances in 1959 wur the first for a female rock an roll sangster in Italy. Her loud syncopatit singin earned her the elk-name Queen o Screamers.^[10] The public labeled her the Teeger o Cremona for her wild gestures an bouk shaks an aw. When she turned tae licht pop tunes, Mina's chairt-toppers in Wast Germany in 1962 an Japan in 1964 earned her the title o the best internaitional airtist in thir kintras.^[11][12][13] Mina's mair refined sensual manner wis introducit in 1960 wi Gino Paoli's ballad "This World We Love In", which chairtit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961.

Mina wis banned frae Italian TV an radio in 1963 acause her pregnancy an relationship wi a marriet actor did no accord wi the dominant Catholic an bourgeois morals.^[14] Efter the ban, the Italian broadcastin service RAI tree'd tae continue tae prohibit her sangs, which wur fortricht in dealin wi subjects sic as releegion, smokin an sex.^[14] Mina's ceul act combined sex appeal wi public smokin, dyed blond hair, an shavit eyebrous tae creaut a "bad girl" image.^[10]

Mina's vyce haes distinctive timbre an great pouer.^[15][16] Her main themes are anguisht luve stories performit in heich dramatic tones. The sangster combined classic Italian pop wi elements o blues, R&B an soul muisic durin the late 1960s,^[17] especially when she wirkit in collaboration wi componer Lucio Battisti. Top Italian sangwriters creatit material wi lairge vocal ranges an unuisual chord progressions tae showcase her singin skills, pairticularly "Brava" bi Bruno Canfora (1965) an the pseudo-serial "Se telefonando" bi Ennio Morricone (1966). The latter sang wis covered bi several performers abroad. Shirley Bassey carriet Mina's ballad "Grande grande grande" tae chairts in the U.S., U.K., an ither Inglis-speakin kintras in 1973. Mina's easy listenin duet "Parole parole" wis turned intae a warldwide hit bi Dalida an Alain Delon in 1974. Mina gae up public appearances in 1978 an haes continued tae release popular albums on a yearly basis tae the present day.

Anna Maria Mazzini^[1][18] wis born intae a wirkin-cless faimily in Busto Arsizio, Lombardy.^[19] The faimily muivit tae wirk in Cremona in her bairnheid. She listened tae American rock an roll an jazz records an wis a frequent visitor at the Santa Tecla an the Taverna Messicana clubs o Milan, baith kent for promotin rock an roll.^[20] Efter feenishing heich schuil in 1958, she attendit college whaur she majored in accoontin.^[19]

While on simmer holiday in Versilia on 8 August 1958, Mazzini gae an improvisit performance o the sang "Un'anima tra le mani" to amuis her faimily efter a concert at the La Bussola nicht club.^[5][21] Durin the follaein nichts, Sergio Bernardini, the awner o the club, held her back in her attempts tae get back on stage.^[22]

In September, she stairtit her solo career wi the backin o the baund Happy Boys.^[19] Her concert in September 1958, afore an audience o 2,500 fowk at the Theatre o Rivarolo del Re, wan enthusiastic approval frae local creetics.^[23] She suin signed wi Davide Matalon, awner o the smaw record company Italdisc. Her first single, "Non partir"/"Malatia", wis producit unner the stage name Mina for the Italian audience. Simultaneously, "Be Bop A Lula"/"When" wis issued unner the name Baby Gate for the internaitional audience. Baby wis chosen as a contrast tae her 178 cm hicht (5 ft 10 in) — exceptionally taw for an Italian wumman — an Gate as a tribute tae The Golden Gate Quartet.^[22][24] In Dizember, her performance at the Sei giorni della canzone festival o Milan wis describit bi the La Notte newspaper as the "birth o a starn".^[25] It wis Mina's last performance wi the Happy Boys, as her faimily refused tae let her skip college for a scheduled tour o Turkey.

Less nor a month efter the breakup wi her previous baund, Mina co-foondit a new group cried Solitari, which consistit o a sangster, a saxophonist, a pianist, a contrabassist, an a guitarist. Her first hit wi the baund featurt Mina performit an extra-loud, syncopatit version o the popular swing sang "Nessuno" ("Nobody"), which she performit at the first rock festival in the Milan Ice Palace in Februar 1959.^[26][27][28] Performances o the sang on the TV gemme shows Lascia o raddoppia? an Il musichiere on 1 Mairch an 4 Apryle wur hailed bi Italian creetics. The starlet signed wi Elio Gigante, an experiencit airtist manager. In the follaein years, he organisit her performances in the grand ballrooms o Italy.^[19] Her first Italian #1 hit wis the up-tempo "Tintarella di luna" ("Moon Tan") in September 1959, which wis performit in her first musicarello (muisical comedy film), Juke box - Urli d'amore. In late 1959, Matalon haed her drop the name Baby Gate in favour o Mina.

The next year, when Mina teuk pairt in the Festival della canzone italiana in Sanremo wi twa sangs, she turned tae slow emotional luve sangs for the first time. The sang "È vero" ("It's True") reached #8 on the Italian chairts.^[29] Gino Paoli's sang "Il cielo in una stanza" ("The Sky in a Room") markit the beginnin o the young sangster's transformation frae a rock an roll shrieker tae a feminine inspiration for cantautori.^[30] The idea for the sang "Luve can grow at ony moment at ony place" haed come tae Paoli while lyin on a bed an leukin at the purpie ceilin.^[31] The single toppit the leet o annual sales in Italy^[8] an reached the Billboard Hot 100^[10] as "This World We Love In". Video performances o the sang wur includit in the muisicarellos Io bacio... tu baci an Appuntamento a Ischia, an in 1990, in the soondtrack o the film Goodfellas.

At the 1961 Sanremo sang festival, Mina performit twa sangs. "Io amo, tu ami" ("A Luve, You Luve") feenisht fowert an "Le mille bolle blu" ("A Thoosan Blue Bubbles") placit fift.^[32] Disappointit wi thir results, Mina declared her intention o niver performin at the Sanremo sang festival again.

As her sangs an movies wur awready popular abroad, Mina stairtit tae tour Spain an Japan,^[33] and performed on Venezuelan TV in 1961.^[34] Mina performit on Spainyie TV an at the Paris Olympia haw at the beginnin o 1962.^[35] The presentation o her German single "Heißer Sand" on 12 Mairch 1962 on Peter Kraus's TV show caused a boom o 40,000 record sales in ten days in Germany.^[36] The record went tae #1 an spent ower hauf the year on the German chairts in 1962.^[37] Mina haed sax mair singles on the German chairt in the next twa years.^[11] In a listeners' poll conductit in Julie 1962 in Germany, Austrick, an the German-speakin portion o Swisserland, Mina wis votit the maist popular sangster in the warld.^[12] In Mey 1962, she performit in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, her version o the mambo rhythm "Moliendo Cafe" an the surf pop "Renato" peakit at #1 an #4 respectively on the Italian chairts.^[8] "L'eclisse twist" appeared on the flipside o "Renato", an wis uised on the soondtrack o Michelangelo Antonioni's featur film Eclipse.

In 1963 Mina's TV an radio career wis interruptit bi RAI, the Italian public broadcastin service, as she refused tae kiver up her relationship (an resultin pregnancy) wi the marriet actor Corrado Pani. Mina's record sales wur unaffectit an due tae public demand, RAI endit the ban. On 10 Januar 1964 she returned tae the TV screen on the program La fiera dei sogni, an performit the sang "Città vuota", a kiver o Gene McDaniels' "It's a Lonely Town (Lonely Without You)", which wis her first release on the RiFi label.^[38][39] Her next single, "È l'uomo per me", a kiver o Jody Miller's "He Walks Like a Man", became the biggest sellin record o the year in Italy.^[8] Her new melodic manner^[40] wis demonstratit again on 11 Dizember 1964 TV program Il macchiettario, whaur she performit "Io sono quel che sono" ("I Am What I Am"). A reminder o her previous adolescent image, her single "Suna ni kieta namida" ("Tears Disappear in the Sand"), sung in Japanese, peakit at #1 on the Japanese singles chairt an earned Mina the title o Best Internaitional Airtist in Japan.^[13]

The first episode o the Studio Uno live Seturday nicht series showcased Mina's new blond leuk wi shavit eyebrous.^[41] The shows includit the bruidin sangs "Un bacio è troppo poco" ("One Kiss is Not Enough") an "Un anno d'amore" ("A Year of Love"),^[42] a kiver o Nino Ferrer's "C'est irreparable".^[43] In the same series she performit "Brava" ("Good"), a rhythmic jazz nummer specially written bi Bruno Canfora tae demonstrate the Mina's vocal range an performin skills.^[19] Her Studio Uno album toppit the Italian chairt that year. Her recordins o 1965 includit the scattin performance o "Spirale Waltz", the theme sang for the film The 10th Victim.

Maurizio Costanzo an Ghigo De Chiara wrote the leerics o "Se telefonando" ("If Over the Phone") as the theme for the TV program Aria condizionata in spring 1966.^[44] The leerics war componit in a daurk, Hal David mode.^[10] The serialist componer Ennio Morricone^[45] wis askit tae compone the muisic. Mina an the three sangwriters met in a RAI rehearsal room at Via Teulada, Roum. Morricone stairtit tae repeat a short muisical theme o juist three notes (bi his term a micro-cell)^[45] on an upricht piano. He haed copiet the snippet o melody frae the siren o a polis caur in Marseilles. Efter a few bars Mina grabbit the leerics sheet an stairtit tae sing as if she haed kent the tune afore. Componit in this wey, "Se telefonando" is a pop sang wi aicht transitions o tonality that builds tension throuoot the chorus.^[6][44] Morricone's arrangement featurt a sophisticatit combination o melodic trumpet lines, Hal Blaine-style drummin, a string set, a 1960s Europop female choir, an intense subsonic-soondin trombones.^[10]

"Se telefonando" wis presentit in Mey 1966 in a Studio Uno episode an in August the same year at Aria condizionata. The single peakit at #7 on the Italian chairt an wis 53rd in the annual leet o sales. The album Studio Uno 66 featurt the sang as ane o the staundoot tracks alang wi "Ta-ra-ta-ta" an "Una casa in cima al mondo". It wis the fift biggest sellin album o the year in Italy.^[9]

In 1966, Mina stairtit wirkin wi the Swiss Broadcasting Service an the Orchestra Radiosa in Lugano. She foondit the independent record label PDU in collaboration wi her faither. The first record issued unner the label wis Dedicato a mio padre (Dedicated to My Father). Mina's growin interest in Brazilian muisic resultit in "La banda" ("The Band"), a Chico Buarque sang, which reached #3 in Italy. Mina continued tae perform on Italian TV, an presentit "Zum zum zum" on the ware 1967 variety series Sabato sera, accompaniet bi the NATO naval baund. The series includit "La coppia più bella del mondo" ("The Most Beautiful Couple in the World") an aw, a duet wi Adriano Celentano. The title o the sang "Sono, come tu mi vuoi" ("I Am, as You Want Me to Be") wis taken frae Luigi Pirandello's play Come tu mi vuoi. The leerics talk aboot the manic attention o the press on an airtist's private life.^[46] Anither hit frae Sabato sera wis "L'immensità" ("Immensity"), which wis re-scored bi Augusto Martelli an released as "La inmensidad" in Spain an Laitin American kintras.^[47]

RAI broadcast the third episode o Senza rete ("Unplugged") live on 18 Julie 1968 frae the Auditorio A o the corporation's regional heidquairters in Naples.^[48] The program presentit Mina's homage tae Luigi Tenco, who haed recently dee'd. She turned his sang "Se stasera sono qui" ("Should I Stay Here Tonight") intae a rigorous piece o soul muisic^[17] in the score o Pino Calvi. She celebratit the 10t anniversary o her career wi a concert at La Bussola, backit bi the Orchestra Augusto Martelli.^[49] The concert wis recordit an issued as Mina alla Bussola dal vivo.^[50]

Canzonissima 1968 wis a Seturday nicht prime time variety show that aired on Rai Uno frae September 1968 tae Januar 1969. It wis hostit bi Mina, Walter Chiari an Paolo Panelli.^[51] The orchestrations wur scored bi the conductors Bruno Canfora an Augusto Martelli. "Sacumdì Sacumdà", Mina's talkin an laughin version o Carlos Imperial's bossa nova "Nem Vem Que Não Tem", narraely escapit a ban bi RAI acause o its irreverent leerics. The sang wis performit as pairt o a muisical fantasy, back tae back wi "Quelli che hanno un cuore", her intense version o "Anyone Who Had a Heart".^[52] Anither interpretation o a Dionne Warwick sang wis "La voce del silenzio" ("Silent Voices") bi Paolo Limiti an Elio Isola, presentit in a live session durin the show.^[19] "Niente di niente" ("Nothing at All") wis her version o the Delfonics' "Break Your Promise". The series includit the sangs "Fantasia", "La musica è finita" ("The Music is Over") an the elegant "Un colpo al cuore" ("Heart Attack") an aw. "Un colpo al cuore" endit up as #68 on the best-sellin singles chairt for that year in Italy.^[53] Each show wis closed bi Mina singin "Vorrei che fosse amore" ("Wish It Was Love"), a piece o atmospheric muisic bi Bruno Canfora that wis #50 on the best-sellin singles chairt for 1968 in Italy.^[53] A selection o sangs frae the series wur issued as the album Canzonissima '68.^[52]

Efter a break o three month, Mina returned an recordit the sang "Non credere" ("Disbelieve"), componit bi Luigi Clausetti an Pietro Soffici, wi leerics bi Mogol, in Apryle.^[54] The single became the third biggest-sellin record o the year in Italy.^[55] Mogol an his fellae componer Lucio Battisti, alang wi the Premiata Forneria Marconi on back-up instrumentals, wirkit wi Mina on several sangs as a result o the success o "Non credere". The team producit a set o sangs includin "Io e te da soli" ("You and Me Alone"), "Insieme" ("Together"), "Amor mio" ("Love of Mine"), "Io vivrò senza te" ("I'll Live without You"),^[39][56] "E penso a te" ("And I Think of You"). Ane o the first introductions o the new repertoire wis the Senza rete live televisit concert frae the Auditorio A in Naples on 20 Januar 1970. The material providit bi Mogol-Battisti wis the core for five albums. Amang thaim, ...bugiardo più che mai...più incosciente che mai... wis Mina's first unthirlt album tae reach #1 o the weekly Italian chairts an wis the biggest sellin album o 1969 in Italy. ...quando tu mi spiavi in cima a un batticuore... wis seivent on the annual record chairt o 1970. Del mio meglio... (My Best...) wis seicont in 1971. Mina wis the biggest seller o 1972. The latter twa albums wur recordit durin a break frae live performances tae gie birth tae her dochter Benedetta.

Mina's comeback teuk place at RAI's variety series Teatro 10 in ware 1972. Ane o the heichlichts o the series wis a selection o Battisti's sangs performit in duet wi the composer. The shows includit "Balada para mi muerte" ("Ode to My Death") an aw, a nuevo tango duet wi Ástor Piazzolla at the bandoneón, backit bi the Argentine group Conjunto 9. "Grande grande grande", arrangit bi Pino Presti,^[57] wis the seicont biggest-sellin single o the year in Italy. The successes encouragit Enrico Riccardi tae copy Battisti's style in Riccardi's composition "Fiume azzurro", which earned anither place in the tap 100 o annual record sales in Italy.^[58]

The feenal nummer o the aicht Teatro 10 episodes wis "Parole parole" ("Words Words"), a duet wi Alberto Lupo. The sang is an easy listenin dialogue atween Mina's singin an Lupo's declamation. The leerics' theme are hollae wirds. Thir intertwine the lady's lamentation o the end o luve an the lees she haes tae hear wi the male protagonist's recitation. In the dialog she scoffs at the compliments he gies her, cawin thaim parole – juist wirds. The single wis released in Apryle 1972 an toppit the Italian chairts. It wis covered bi numerous Italian an French duets.^[59]

Mina said she wad be reteerin frae public appearances efter an exclusive concert at the La Bussola Club on 16 September. Thoosans o fowk turned up at the nichtclub's doorstep.^[60][61][62] Gianni Ferrio's Orchestra featurt Gianni Basso on tenor saxophone an Oscar Valdambrini on trumpet.^[61]

Mina lost her husband Virgilio Crocco in a caur accident in 1973. She continued her career wi the tap Italian chairt hits "E poi..." ("And Then...") an "L'importante è finire" ("It's Important to Finish"). She recordit the theme sang "Fa presto, fa piano" ("Works Quickly, Works Quietly") for the film La sculacciata, issued in 1974.

Mina's last live TV appearance wis the feenal episode o the Milleluci series on 16 Mairch 1974. Mina wis the hostess o the series alangside Raffaella Carrà. Durin the series, she splored different muisical styles in the sangs "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Mack the Knife", "Night and Day", and "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)". Efter "Non gioco più" ("The Game Is Over"), a blues duet wi the harmonica player Toots Thielemans, Mina annooncit her athdrawal frae public performances.^[63] Her last appearance on TV wis her performance o "Ancora ancora ancora". The video wis the feenal nummer o the "Mille e una luce" show on 1 Julie 1978.^[64] Her last concert appearances, a series o thirteen fully beukit concerts at La Bussola in 1978, wur cut short due tae her illness. Mina gae her last public performance on 23 August 1978 at the Bussoladomani theatre backit bi the Orchestra Pino Presti.^[65] It wis recordit an issued as Mina Live '78.^[64]

Mina continued tae release albums on a yearly basis wi her son Massimiliano Pani as the producer. Atween 1972 an 1995, she publisht a dooble album each year. Frae 1973, her LPs an CDs hae been characterisit bi airtistic motifs o the designers Luciano Tallarini, Gianni Ronco an the photographer Mauro Balletti. Frae the mid-1980s, the design o the album covers wis trustit tae Balletti alane. Aw o Mina's records unner the PDU label hae reached the Italian Tap 100. A lairge pairt o her wirk haes consistit o coverin well-kent sangs; she haes dedicatit tribute albums tae The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Renato Zero, Domenico Modugno, the Neapolitan sang, an releegious muisic. Efter leavin the stage, her greatest chairt successes hae been duets. In 1985, "Questione di feeling", a duet wi Riccardo Cocciante, wis the 13t biggest-sellin single o the year in Italy an became an ivergreen (as a hit song is cried in Europe). The duet album Mina Celentano, recordit wi Adriano Celentano, wis the biggest-sellin album o 1998 in Italy. Stairtin in 1989, aw o her records includit the jazzy piano playin o Danilo Rea.

The break in Mina's TV appearances lastit till 2001, when she released fuitage o her recordin sessions. The videos wur broadcastit ower the Wind internet steid on 30 Mairch. This resultit in millions o visits tae the steid on that nicht, an addeetional millions on follaein days. The fuitage wis released as the DVD Mina in Studio. Efter the event, Mina's singles stairtit tae chairt in Italy again. The track "Succhiando l'uva" (2002), written for her bi Zucchero, peakit at #3 on the chairt. Mina's kiver o "Don't call me baby (Can't take my eyes off you)" (2003) reached #4 in Italy. The single "Alibi" (2007) reached #6 in Italy. The triple CD The Platinum Collection reached #1 on the Italian chairts. Sae did Olio (1999), Veleno (2002), Bula Bula (2005) and Todavía. Mina's later releases hae includit duets wi Mick Hucknall, Fabrizio De André, Piero Pelù, Adriano Celentano, Lucio Dalla, Joan Manuel Serrat, Chico Buarque, Tiziano Ferro, Giorgia an Seal. In recent years, Mina haes been writin a weekly column on the front page o La Stampa an a page in the Italian edeetion o the magazine Vanity Fair, whaur she answers fan letters.^[21]

• Juke box - Urli d'amore (1959)
• Teddy Boys della canzone (1960)
• Urlatori alla sbarra (1960)
• Madri pericolose (1960)
• Io bacio... tu baci (1961)
• Mina... fuori la guardia (1961)
• Das haben die Mädchen gern (1962)
• Appuntamento in Riviera (1962)
• Silvester Show (1964)
• Per amore... per magia... (1967)

Mina signed a contract wi the Barilla fuid label in 1965 an starred in ten pasta commercials bi 1971, directit bi Piero Gherardi an Valerio Zurlini amang ithers. In 2005, Mina's performances in ads for Barilla wur publisht on VHS an DVD as Nei caroselli Barilla. The exclusive concert at the La Bussola Club on 16 September 1972 wis released bi the PDU record company as Mina alla Bussola Live '72. Recordit bi Polivideo TV company, the event wis aired on Sky Italia as a series frae 1 tae 21 Januar 1973.

• Mina, come sono bi Gianni Pettenati (Virgilio 1980)
• Mina, la voce bi Mario Guarino (Forte 1983)
• Unicamente Mina bi Flavio Merkel and Paolo Belluso (Gammalibri 1983)
• La leggendaria Mina (PDU Italiana Edizioni Musicali S.r.l./Curci 1983)
• Mina. Storia di un mito raccontato bi Nino Romano (Rusconi 1986)
• Mina nelle fotografie di Mauro Balletti (Campanotto 1990)
• Mina - Le immagini e la storia di un mito (Eden 1992)
• Mina - Mito e mistero bi Nino Romano (Sperling & Kupfer 1996)
• Mina - I miti bi Antonella Giola, Daniela Teruzzi & Gherardo Gentili (Arnoldo Mondadori 1997)
• Mina - I mille volti di una voce bi Romy Padovano (Arnoldo Mondadori 1998)
• Divina Mina bi Dora Giannetti (Zelig 1998)
• Mina bi Roberta Maresci (Gremese 1998)
• Mina - Una forza incantatrice bi Franco Fabbri & Luigi Pestalozza (eds. Euresis 1998)
• Mina - La sua vita, i suoi successi bi Gianni Lucini (Sonzogno 1999)
• Mina, il mito (Tempo Libro 1999)
• Studio Mina bi Flaviano De Luca (ed. Elle U Multimedia 1999)
• Mina disegnata fotografata -Authors' copyright- 2001
• Mina: Gli anni Italdisc 1959–1964 bi Marco Castiglioni, Fulvio Fiore, Maurizio Maiotti, Stefania Fiore, Barbara Alari an Maurizio Maiotti (Satisfaction 2001)
• Mina 1958–2005 Ancora insieme bi Marcello Bufacchi (Riuniti 2005)
• Mina talk. Vent'anni di interviste. 1959–1979 bi Fernando Fratarcangeli (Coniglio 2005)
• Mina... il fascino della tigre bi Ghea Irene (Lo Vecchio 2006)

• Mina on IMDb