Emilio Pericoli

b. 1928, Cesenatico, Italy. This sailor's son was a member of an amateur dramatic society while a trainee accountant in Milan. It was after he had taken the plunge as a professional thespian that he found himself, microphone in hand, one frolicsome 1960 evening in a local nightclub. From this casual beginning, he decided to concentrate on singing, and eventually won a contract with Ricordi Records. The vehicle that was to project Pericoli's vocal talent most commercially was ‘Al Di La' which, performed by Betty Curtis, had won 1961's San Remo Song Festival for composers Guilio...