Riccardo Maiocchi ( 27 May 1940 - 2 February 2004), best known as Riki Maiocchi, was an Italian singer and musician, mainly successful in the second half of the 1960s.
Riki Maiocchi | |
|---|---|
 Riki Maiocchi at the 1967 Cantagiro | |
| Born | Riccardo Maiocchi 27 May 1940 |
| Died | 2 February 2004 (aged 63) Milan, Italy |
| Occupation | Singer |
Life and career edit
Born in Milan, Maiocchi started his career as guitarist and singer in a number of local bands.[1] He made his professional debut in 1964, with the single "La tua vera personalità", and in 1965 he entered the group I Camaleonti as lead singer.[1][2] After getting two major hits, "Sha-La-La" and "Chiedi chiedi", Maiocchi left the band in order to pursue his solo career.[1][2] The same year, he got an immediate success with the song "Uno in più", written by Mogol and Lucio Battisti, which ranked second on the Italian hit parade.[1][3]
In 1967 Maiocchi entered the competition at the 17th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with a second collaboration with Mogol and Battisti, "C'è chi spera", which was also a solid hit, peaking at the eight place on the Italian hit parade.[1][3] After a third and less successful song by Mogol-Battisti, "Prendi fra le mani la testa", Maiocchi recorded a cover version of the 1940s classic "Ma l'amore no", an attempt to turn himself into a more traditional crooner, but the single failed to chart.[1] In the later years Maiocchi changed three record companies, but his records failed to achieve remarkable results.[1]
After basically stopping his activities in the mid-1970s, Maiocchi partially relaunched his career in the late 1980s and early 1990s thanks to his appearances on several TV programs.[1][2]
Discography edit
- Albums
- 1988 – Riki Maiocchi – (CGD, LSM 1333)
- 1998 – Uno in più – (MR Music, MRCD 4122)
- Singles
- 1964 – La tua vera personalità/Giovedì non mancare – (Columbia, SCMQ 1784)
- 1964 – Non dite a mia madre/P.S. I Love You – (Columbia, SCMQ 1818)
- 1965 – La casa del sole/P.S. I Love You – (Columbia, SCMQ 1818)
- 1965 – Sha la la la la/Tu credi in me – (Kansas, DM 1005)
- 1965 – Quella che cerchi/Mai finirà – (Columbia, SCMQ 1843)
- 1966 – Uno in più/Non buttarmi giù – (CBS, 2388)
- 1967 – C'è chi spera/Sono il tuo poeta – (CBS, 2538)
- 1967 – Prendi fra le mani la testa/Prega – (CBS, 2726)
- 1967 – Ma l'amore no/Un'altra vita – (CBS, 3015)
- 1968 – Il re della solitudine/E volerai – (CBS, 3367)
- 1969 – Io sono qui/Tu vedi mai cerchi bianchi e neri? – (Carosello, CI 20231)
- 1972 – Aiutami/Mary Jane – (CGD, 7981)
- 1976 – Rock 'n' Roll/P.S. I Love You – (Columbia, 3c 006 18154)
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nicola Sisto. "Riki Maiocchi". Gino Castaldo (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990.
- ^ a b c Eddy Anselmi (2009). Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics, 2009. ISBN 978-8863462296.
- ^ a b Dario Salvatori (1989). Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989. ISBN 8876054391.
External links edit
- Official website
- Riki Maiocchi at AllMusic
- Riki Maiocchi discography at Discogs
- Riki Maiocchi at IMDb