IN THE GROOVE (July 18, 2023)

Ciao! Welcome back to In The Groove.

We celebrated my Dad’s birthday the other day. He was born 108 years ago in the town of Cattolica Eraclea in the Province of Agrigento in Sicily. Dad was incredibly proud of his heritage and instilled that pride in me. He loved music, mostly Italian opera, traditional Italian songs and American standards; there was always something playing on our radio or stereo.

Well, Dad’s been gone almost 25 years (d. August 1, 1998), but I can still hear him singing along to this song.

Happy Birthday, Dad! This one’s for you!

This is Domenico Modugno singing his Grammy Award-winning song from 1958, “Volare”.

Now that’s singing with heart and soul. As my dad would say, “Perfetto!”  

If you’d like to know more about Domenico Modugno or “Volare”, all the facts are available on Wikipedia, but don’t look anything up until after you’ve read the question of the day.

This is for you trivia buffs or Baby Boomers out there. Let’s see what you got!

In 1960 an 18-year-old out of Philadelphia had a HUGE hit with “Volare”. Can you name this famous Philadelphian?

As usual, the answer is given below and this time there’s a bonus video.

I hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. Deb’s flying in tomorrow; who knows where’s she’s going to land this time? Stay tuned!

“Arrivederci!”

See you on the flip side.

I’m the Sicilian Storyteller

NAR © 2023

And the answer is ….. Bobby Rydell

Shall we have a listen to one of the best set of pipes to come out of Philly? Here is Bobby Rydell singing his version of “Volare”; I know which one my dad preferred. How about you?