Renato Carosone

(Naples, 1920 – Rome, 2001)

(By Jessica Ruffolo, University of Calgary)

Photographs and videos of Renato Carosone almost always include a pianoforte, a joyful smile, or a combination of the two. These images are testament to his life-long dedication to his love for music.

Born to Antonio and Carolina Daino on January 3, 1920 near Piazza del Mercato in Vico dei Tornieri, Naples, Renato Carosone was the eldest of three children. Carosone’s early life was inundated with music, including his father’s career at Naples’ Teatro Mercadante. This early exposure to music served as building blocks to his debut piano composition of “Triki-trak” being produced at the young age of 14, which followed by an opportunity to compose music for the epic battles of Count Roland and Renaud at a puppet theater in Naples. However, when listening to Carosone’s music, we distinctly hear an intersection of the lively streets of Naples with his conservatory-trained piano and composition skills.

In 1937, after receiving his diploma under the guidance of Alberto Curci at the young age of 17, Carosone was bound for a new adventure that would take him out of his beloved hometown of Naples [1]. Carosone would return to his puppet theater roots, joining Aldo Russo, a comedian, on a theatrical adventure to Italian East Africa. Here, Carosone was captivated by the music and culture, and in Asmara, he would find love with Italia Levidi, known as Lita. Lita and Carosone’s love story follows with a marriage in 1938, and his adoption of Lita’s son Pino.

Although love, culture, and music filled the days of Carosone’s early career, 1941 forced him into a stark new reality of being stationed in Italian Somaliland until the region fell to British forces during World War II. He immediately returned to his passions when arriving back in Asmara where he became a director at the Odeon Theatre. Here, Carosone worked to blend the sounds and rhythms of local Eritrean music, along with his beloved Neapolitan melodies. This unique blend of swing and jazz would aid Carosone’s rise to fame when he returned to Brindisi, Italy in 1946, where he was virtually unknown at the time.

Carosone’s upbeat music served as the perfect ingredient for an exciting live performance. His concerts were known to grand performances, theatrical at time. His engagement with other band members, playing of several instruments, dancing on stage, and heavy eye contact with the audience all made up an extremely engaging performance. 

His wide-received success began during the 1950’s with the Trio Carosone which was made up of a Dutch guitarist named Peter van Houten, Neapolitan drummer Gegè Di Giacomo, and later evolving into a quartet with the addition of Hungarian Romani musician Elek Bacsik on guitar, violin, and bass. Carosone’s songs often spoke of one’s desire to embody the mannerisms of another culture. This represented the globalization at the time, and the longing “to be someone else”. These songs showcase Carosone’s own life experiences, having had created music around the world. His music own songs often take on this role of the “other”, having several cultural elements come together melodically and noticeably. An example of this is the1956 release of “Tu vuò fà l’americano” (You’re Acting All American), where Carosone sings:

 Tu vuo’ fa’ l’americano / mericano, mericano / ma si’ nato in Italy / sient’ a mme, nun ce sta niente ‘a fa’ / ok, napulita’!

(You’re acting all American, / American, American, / but you’re born in Italy, listen here: / there’s nothing you can do, / ok napoletano!)

The song “Torero”, with its catchy chorus reminiscent of the perfect summer day on the Italian coastline, became a hit not only in Italy but in the United States where it entered the charts in 1958. The song, containing eclectic melodies, maracas, and sung in the dialect of his hometown, would later be translated into twelve languages and covered by almost thirty artists including The Andrews Sisters and the Kind Brothers.

Carosone then became one of the first post-war Italian artists to tour the United States, embarking on travels which included a tour that spanned from Cuba to New York City. The breakthrough of Italian-Neapolitan music in America showcases the international reach of this genre of music. This tour managed to attract the attention of Capitol Records, who signed Carosone and accompanied the production of his first two albums: Honeymoon in Rome (1957) and Renato Carosone! (1959). His swing sound was molded into two more big-band albums Blue Italian Skies (1958), released by Pathé, and Carnevale Carosone (1960) released by Parlophone. Carosone’s internationally gathered mix of melodies and sounds managed to successfully bud in America, a true testament to the transcendence of sounds.

Although Carosone’s unique sound is what brought him great fame, it would be the rise of another new sound that would encourage his retirement. In 1960, Carosone announced that the Rock and roll movement would be one of the main reasons he would walk away from his life-long musical production: “I’d rather retire now on the crest of the wave, than being tormented later by the idea of rock and roll wiping away all that I have achieved in so many years of hard work”[2]. His fans were of course ecstatic to see a comeback which included televised concert, as well as live performances at Sanremo Music Festival and other TV appearances until the end of the 1990’s.

Carosone spent the final years of his life out of the public eye doing what he loved and exploring his talents in painting. Carosone died on Sunday May 20, 2001 at his home in Rome, however his music has lived beyond him. “Tu vuò fà l’americano” (You’re Acting All American) remains one of the most well-known Italian American hits, and it is unlikely that a summer passes without hearing at least one of Carosone’s contagiously uplifting songs.

  1. “Treccani – la cultura italiana | Treccani, il portale del sapere“. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/renato-carosone_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/

Translated songs: