Zucchero (Italian for “sugar”) is an Italian rock singer. He was born Adelmo Fornaciari on September 25, 1955 in the Italian province Reggio Emilia, Italy and has since become one of the most famous Italian singers.
He is probably best known internationally for the song Senza Una Donna, which is a duet with Paul Young and hit number 4 in the latter’s native United Kingdom, where Zucchero has generally made little commercial impact, in 1991. He commenced his musical career in 1970 with his first single in 1976, and his first album in 1983. His music, in Italian, Spanish and in English, is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between syrupy ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces. He sang several duets, in public or on disc, with Joe Cocker, Miles Davis, Paul Young, Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Jones, and Johnny Hallyday.
European hit singles include Il Volo (English version: My love), Cosi Celeste, Baila (sexy thing), Diamante (featuring soul singer Randy Crawford), and Wonderful World (with Eric Clapton). Zucchero’s 2004 album ZU & Co features duets with Miles Davis, Paul Young, Sheryl Crow, The Cranberries’s Dolores O’Riordan, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Maná, Brian May, and Sting. It has sold millions of copies throughout Europe and the world and entered the Billboard 200 charts after its release in the U.S. in the summer of 2005.
