Caterina Valente

Caterina Valente

Valente in 1966
Background information
Born (1931-01-14) 14 January 1931
Paris, France
Occupation(s) Singer, guitarist, dancer, actress
Website www.caterinavalente.com

Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931, Paris, France) is an Italian singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress. She was born into an Italian artist family. Her father, Giuseppe, was a well-known accordion player; her mother, Maria, a musical clown. She had three siblings, one of whom, Silvio (as Silvio Francesco), was also active in show business.

Career

Caterina Valente, 1984

In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved success with songs such as "Malagueña", "The Breeze and I" (a global million-seller),[1] and "Dreh dich nicht um" with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In the mid 1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca [2] and London [3] labels. She was a favorite of singer Perry Como making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1972 she was also a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter's I Love Paris under the German title Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe, which sold more than 900,000 copies in 1954. Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Claus Ogerman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sy Oliver, Buddy Rich and Edmundo Ros. In 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award. Valente was a principal, along with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, on the short-lived CBS variety series The Entertainers (1964–65). A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel.

Film

In 1958, she filmed the musical comedy Hier bin ich – hier bleib ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) which featured a guest appearance by Bill Haley & His Comets. During Haley's segment, Valente sings a duet with Haley on a newly recorded version of his song "Vive la Rock and Roll".[4]

Personal life

In 1952, she married the juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. Their son is the singer Eric van Aro.

In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd. They had a son, Alexander, before they divorced in 1979.

Selected album discography

United States

Brazil

Peru

Argentina

Colombia

United Kingdom

Australia

Germany

Japan

South Africa

Selected filmography

Awards

(Incomplete list)

References

  1. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  2. ↑ "The Work of Claus Ogerman". Bjbear71.com. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  3. ↑ "The Work of Claus Ogerman". Bjbear71.com. 1965-11-16. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  4. ↑ Bill Haley and The Comets - Vive le Rock'n Roll, Youtube.com, retrieved 2015-08-17

External links

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