One Lump Or Two?

This is Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag – Week 51 and we are
asked to choose a song by a group or solo artist whose
name begins with the letters X, Y or Z. This is my choice.

The name on his birth certificate reads Adelmo Fornaciari, but this charismatic Italian vocalist mostly answers to simply “Zucchero” (“Sugar” in English). Under this name, the Italian blues rock singer/songwriter sold over 60 million records worldwide.

Having obtained two World Music Awards, six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards and a Grammy Award nomination during his 45-year career, Zucchero is widely regarded as one of the industry’s heavyweights.

In 1981 Zucchero won the Castrocaro Music Festival, an annual music competition located in Forli, Italy. Encouraged by this early success, Zucchero made his first appearance as a solo artist at the Sanremo Festival (widely regarded as the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest) in ’82, and then at the Festival Dei Fiori in 1983.

These high-profile appearances rapidly kick-started Zucchero’s solo career. His first major commercial breakthrough came after he relocated to California. There Zucchero began a lengthy collaboration with Italian producer Corrado Rustici who assembled a backing band, including highly respected session bassist Randy Jackson (Journey). Together they cut 1984’s Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band, which featured the smooth, soulful “Donne” (“Women”) …. Zucchero’s first significant Top 30 hit in his native Italy.

But it was 1987’s Blue’s that made Zucchero a household name in Italy and ushered him onto the global stage. Again produced by Corrado Rustici, the album featured E Street Band sax sensation, Clarence Clemons. Blue’s instantly struck a chord at home where it sold 1.5 million copies and earned Zucchero his first gold  and platinum records. Blue’s was launched internationally with Zucchero’s first major tour, on which he shared the stage with one of his long-time heroes, Joe Cocker, for an expressive cover of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends”.

With that success still fresh, Zucchero and his band moved to Memphis to record 1989’s album Oro, Incense E Birra ….. “Gold, Incense and Beer”, a pun on the phrase “gold, frankincense and myrrh”, with the word “birra” (beer) replacing “mirra” (myrrh). The album was another enormous success which outsold Blue’s in Italy where it was certified platinum eight times and sold more than 2.5 million copies. The blues and soul-inclined music of Oro, Incense E Birra was often layered and opulent, with high-profile guests such as James Taylor, Rufus Thomas and Eric Clapton. 

In the years that followed, Zucchero’s star only continued to rise. He has collaborated with recording artists such as Paul Young, Elton John, Queen, Jeff Beck, Santana, Steve Winwood, Bono, Elvis Costello, Sting, Bob Dylan, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brian Wilson and many more. Zucchero has sold millions of records, performed for charity organizations, dignitaries, royalty and in arenas all over the world and has received countless accolades. It was not easy picking just one song for today’s post…..so I didn’t.

This is “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” with Queen at the Nelson Mandela 46664 Concert

This is “Senza una donna” (“Without a woman”) by Zucchero with Sting

This is “Mama” by Zucchero & Stevie Ray Vaughan

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 51 – On the Beach with Neil

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag every week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.