Zucchero

Adelmo Fornaciari is the talented Italian musician more commonly known to the world by his nickname, Zucchero ("Sugar"), given to him by an elementary school teacher. He began playing the guitar in his home province of Reggio Emilia, focusing on music in the blues/R&B mold. As a teenager, he founded a local band called Le Nuove Luci. After forming another group, Sugar and Candies, in 1978, Zucchero began writing as well — Italian pop songs for other artists, and more blues-oriented material for himself. He won the 1981 Castrocaro Festival, which led to performances at the 1982 and 1983 Sanremo Festivals. The exposure allowed Zucchero to release his own solo album, 1983's Un Po' Di Zucchero. His song "Donne," performed with the newly formed Zucchero & the Randy Jackson Band, caused a sensation at the 1985 Sanremo Festival; even though "Donne" didn't win, it did become a hit. This introduced the Zucchero blend of Italian pop and electric blues to a larger audience. During the late '80s and early '90s, he became one of the best-selling artists in Italy and a favorite all over Europe. Although he performed at the 1994 Woodstock Festival and appeared with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, the Scorpions, and Luciano Pavarotti, Zucchero's American audience remained limited. In the new millennium, Zucchero's success has continued as a performer and an award-winning songwriter. In 2002, he released another successful solo album, Shake. Three years later Zucchero & Co., a collection of duets with some of his (mainly) non-Italian fans, including Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, and Sheryl Crow, came out, followed in 2006 by another full-length record, Fly.