The stage anecdotes and the real life stories that the Bluesman Emiliano has told to Panorama over the years
On September 25, seventy candles turned off Adelmo Fornaciari From RoncoCesi (Reggio Emilia), Superstar in Italy but also in the rest of the world. The numbers and stages of his career say it: has sold over 60 million records, of which 8 million with the album “Gold, incense & beer“, He was the first western artist who performed at the Kremlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the only Italian artist in having participated in the Woodstock Festival in 1994, in all the events of 46664 for Nelson Mandela and Freddie Mercury Tribute in 1992 in London. Always in 1992 Zucchero and Luciano Pavarotti shared the ideation of the charity gala Pavarotti & Friends.
On the evening of September 25, Zucchero will be on stage for the seventh of his 12 shows at the Verona Arena. In 2026, however, a series of dates are expected in the Italian stadiums (Tickets in advance from 2.00 pm on Monday 29 September).
Zucchero has played in 5 continents, 69 states, 650 cities, touching unique destinations such as Oman, Mauritius, Thaiti, New Caledonia, Armenia, New Zealand and many others. In 2004 he performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London hosting colleagues of great international fame on stage, including Luciano Pavarotti, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Solomon Burke and Dolores O’erordan.
On the occasion of his seventieth birthday We have collected anecdotes and life stories enclosed in the interviews given to Panorama over the years. Happy reading.
The beginning with the Lords Flowers: “I did the first tour in the canons of Emilia on Sunday afternoon. We were the Lords Flowers, that is, I, a friend of my elementary school rather chubby and a girl with the braids that I wanted to be my girlfriend. In those days, I was slender, thin as an anchovy…. We had only one handmade poster: I attacked her at the door of the church in the morning, then I detached her and I brought it back home »Remember Zucchero» What times! It was an Emilia to Don Camillo and Peppone: my hard and pure Marxist uncle who discussed every day in front of the public well with the priest nicknamed Don Tagliatella. They were on radically opposite fronts, but they respected “
Luciano Pavarotti: “Once Luciano Pavarotti, after a lunch at his house, said to me” Ciccio, do you know him one who is called Bono? Well, call him and tell him to come and sing at Pavarotti & Friends in Modena “. I raised the phone and passed it on “
Eric Clapton: “Come here that we sing together tonight Tearing us a partmy piece that also interpreted Tina Turner “. I replied” Ok, I come, but we have to try it and I need that on the stage in front of me there will be the text of the song with cubital characters because I am not sure to remember all the words. ” Tearing us a part. Once arrived, I found that there was no material time to make soundcheck. Eric did not get upset: “Everything is fine, let’s try it in the dressing room.” “All right a cabbage”, it was my answer. Then I got on stage and went great. The same thing happened to me with the U2 in Turin. I went to see the concert and they involved me in the final in I Still Haven’t Found What I’m look for. There too I tried it in the dressing room. Alone while they were already on stage … ».
Miles Davis: «We were in New York and Miles had to record his part in Dunes moved. At the beginning we did not understand each other on the shade of the song. “What the fuck are you doing?” He screamed me. It was really angular, introverted, always dressed in black with black glasses. He never laughed … I defended myself saying that I knew what I did because I wrote the song. We understood ourselves, he got up, leaned his fingers on my throat and said: “Hey, I like your voice”. On another occasion, in Bolzano, Miles Davis He invited me to lunch because he wanted me to write texts on two of his blues songs. He gave me a ribbon, but it was impossible to put on the words because they were not real songs, but very complicated improvisations. Shortly after, he died. I still keep the box with those two pieces. At the time, someone came to hypothesize that to convince him to play in my album I had given him a Ferrari. Let alone: at that time I didn’t even have my eyes to cry ».
Sugar: «This was how the villagers of Roncrocese, in Emilia, called me where I was born. The classic village with the church and the cooperative where everyone knew each other. There they started calling me sugar because I was a sweet child even if a little naughty, destined to become a driverbut always very sensitive and romantic. I recently understood that by aging, the roots, instead of shortening, stretch. And that fresco made of parmesan, perfumes of flowers and peasants I miss a lot. Today, as I say in my latest album, we are, some more than less, victims of the “cool”. Nobody manifests itself for what it really is, there is a need to appear, to give the impression of always being the number one. That’s why I chose to live on a cucuzzolo of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, where if I need to go to the village I go there with jeans and boots. I can say that this was not the world I dreamed of as a child. I lived a wonderful childhood, in a community where we felt embraced and welcome. “
Aretha Franklin: «I was instigated by Luciano Pavarotti and one of the leaders of the Grammy Award. Everything happened during the general tests behind closed doors of his performance. Aretha, wanting to pay a tribute to Luciano, had decided to interpret the No sleep. Except that, not being Italian, on the word “I will win” he never caught the right accent by sending the orchestra out of time. “I’m Not Gonna Sing Like This,” he screamed pissed off, slamming the microphone on the ground. The young director was panic, whitening. At that point, Luciano said to me: “Go and say where it is wrong. Are you crazy? That sends me to the hell, it was my answer … Then, to convince me, the Grammy official who without hesitation proposed: “Look that she is a professional, you will see that he will appreciate your suggestion” was also put. ” So, not very convinced, and a little jerk, I went. “Sorry Aretha …”. He infuriated himself and said to me: “What do you do to live?” And I: “The musician”. “Here, well, then you do your job that I deal with mine.” And he continued to make mistakes accent. The next day, at the time of the official photo for the Grammy, he did not want to put next to me and put himself near Luciano: the end of my dream of dueting with Aretha ».
