Артисты: Pupo

pupo1.jpgEnzo Ghinazzi, or “Pupo”, has been writing, composing and performing songs for over 30 years, making him one of Italy’s greatest singer-songwriters.

From 1975, year of his debut release Ti scriverò, to 1982, there was a stream of uninterrupted success. His songs (Su di noi, Ciao, Lo devo solo a te, Forse, Firenze S. Maria Novella, Un amore grande and Gelato al Cioccolato, amongst others) have been played all around the world and translated into English, German, French and Spanish. During the course of his career, Pupo has sold more than twenty million albums, secured 11 Gold awards and received the “Golden Gondola” award in 1981 for his album Più di Prima.

His appearance at four Sanremo Festivals (in 1980, 1983, 1984, and 1992) ensured that he was never far from the top of the charts, and it was his songs that kickstarted the careers of some of his peers. Sarà perché ti amo, for example, a song performed by Ricchi e Poveri, sold millions. Enzo Ghinazzi’s voice has resonated through some of the world’s most famous musical venues: Madison Square Garden and Broadway in New York, the Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto, London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Entertainment Center and the Olympia in Paris, not to mention the wonderful theatres and concert halls of Tallinn, Leningrad, Moscow and Ulan Bator.

But singer-songwriter is just one part of Pupo’s repertoire. He is also a TV personality who, after making his debut presenting “Domenica In” in 1989, made a return to the small screen in 1997 with his role in “Quelli che il calcio”. Among his innumerable television appearances, some of the most memorable were in Discoring, Superclassifica Show, Va ora in onda, Torno Sabato, Porta a Porta, Milano-Roma, Maurizio Costanzo Show, Scherzi a Parte, Domenica In, and Gran Galà della Pubblicità. In 2001 he was invited to appear on 30 ore per la vita (a marathon TV fundraising event), in 2002 he and Valerio Staffelli presented the prime time Italia 1 show I Gemelli and in 2004 he returned to 30 ore per la vita, this time as presenter alongside Lorella Cuccarini. Also worth noting are the incredible peak viewing figures of 48% for Pupo’s appearance on the Lotteria 2003 programme presented by Morandi.

In 2004 Pupo was a guest on the Canale5 show Buona Domenica, in a role he created for himself and in 2005 he was in Brazil to present La Fattoria, the reality TV show on Canale5 produced by Endemol. The summer of 2005 saw Pupo’s debut on the quiz-show Il Maloppo on Rai1 primetime. The soaring viewing figures took everyone by surprise. “Pupo, hero of TV audiences”, read a headline in il Corriere della Sera while L’Unità described him as a man who “in television terms has blown to smithereens the big timers using nothing but his personality”.

He went on to present Affari Tuoi (on Rai1 from 19 September) which, unexpectedly, proved an instant hit. According to Aldo Grasso, television critic of Il Corriere della Sera, “Ghinazzi has completed the most remarkable comeback in recent years. He has taken the chance given to him by TV and for the moment, has turned it into a huge success. His dodgy CV looks like becoming the career path of an artist.” In 2006, he has continued to present Affari Tuoi and also made his stage debut in Il Grande Croupier, which, since its opening dates at the Venezia Casino, the Teatro Filodrammatici di Milano and the Teatro Italia in Rome, has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. In the summer of 2006, he tried his hand at the Rai1 gameshow Tutto per tutto and made his dubbing debut in the Dreamworks film La gang del bosco (Over The Hedge), which went straight to the top of the box office charts. November sees the release of “Live in the Supermarket”, Pupo’s first DVD with a quite brilliant concert filmed in a Coop supermarket. In January 2007 he will host “La Notte del Poker” on Sky Sport, Italy’s first televised poker championship.