Mario Merola

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Mario Merola

Mario Merola
Background information
Born April 6, 1936(1936-04-06)
Napoli
Origin Naples, Campania, Italy
Died 12 November 2006(2006-11-12) (aged 72)
Castellamare di Stabia
Genres Canzone Napoletana,
Occupations Singer, Actor
Years active 1959-2006
Labels Zeus Record, Hello, Storm, Arlecchino, Edibi
Website http://www.mariomerola.it/ricordo.asp

Mario Merola (6 April 1934 - 12 November 2006) was an Italian singer and actor, most prominently known for having rejuvenated the traditional popular Neapolitan melodrama known as the sceneggiata.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Born into a poor family of Naples, Merola held a number of day jobs ranging from kitchen help to longshoreman at the port of Naples until one of his songs, Malu Figliu, was used successfully in a sceneggiata, promoting him into the limelight. Merola was at the height of his popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the 70’s he went to the White House as the representative of the classic Neapolitan song and here he sang for an hour.

He recorded approximately 40 CDs of sceneggiata music and has extensive credits in filmed versions of this Neapolitan form, newer ones as well as "classical" works from earlier in the 20th century. He toured abroad with a Neapolitan company to bring the sceneggiata to emigrant Italian communities elsewhere.

Although better known as a singer, Merola starred in several Italian crime thrillers, usually playing a gangster. He starred as crime boss Michele Barresi in Umberto Lenzi's 1979 thriller From Corleone to Brooklyn. One of Merola's most renowned movies was Zappatore, where he plays a father who worked tirelessly to make his son into a lawyer, only to have his son turn his back on him.

On November 26, 2005 Mario Merola was appointed, Knight of Malta, together with Bruno Venturini and Mario Trevi.[1]

He died aged 72 in 2006, after having been in intensive care in San Leonardo hospital in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), with breathing difficulties.

[edit] Festival of Naples

  • 1964
    • Doce e' 'o silenzio (Acampora - Martingano) with Elsa Quarta, 12° Festival of Neapolitan Song - no finalist
  • 1965
    • T'aspetto a Maggio (Dura - Scuotto - Esposito) with Achille Togliani, 13° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 7° posto
    • Tu stasera si pusilleco (Amato - E. Buonafede) whit Enzo Del Forno, 13° Festival of Neapolitan Song - no finalist
  • 1966
    • Ciento catene (Chiarazzo - Ruocco) whit Maria Paris, 14° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 5° posto
    • Femmene e Tamorre (E. Bonagura - Lumini) whit Daisy Lumini, 14° Festival of Neapolitan Song - no finalist
  • 1967
    • Allegretto ma non troppo (De Crescenzo - D'Annibale) whit Mario Abbate, 15° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 6° posto
    • Freve 'e gelusia (Chiarazzo - Pelligiano) whit Maria Paris, 15° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 9° posto
  • 1968
    • Cchiu' forte 'e me (U. Martucci - Colosimo - Landi) whit Ben Venuti, 16° Festival of Neapolitan Song - no finalist
    • Comm'a nu sciummo (Barrucci - Gregoretti - C. Esposito) whit Mario Trevi, 16° Festival of Neapolitan Song - no finalist
  • 1969
    • 'O Masto (Pelliggiano - Mammone - De Caro - Petrucci) whit Antonio Buonomo, 17° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 5° Posto
    • Abbracciame (Romeo - Dura - Troia) whit Giulietta Sacco, 17° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 7° posto
    • Ciento Appuntamente (Langella - Falsetti) whit Luciano Rondinella, 17° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 13° posto
  • 1970
    • Chitarra Rossa (Russo - V. - S. Mazzocco) whit Mirna Doris, 18° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 4° posto
    • 'Nnammurato 'e te! (Fiorini - Schiano) whit Luciano Rondinella, 18° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 5° posto
    • 'O guastafeste (Moxedano - Colucci - Sorrentino - Cofra) whit Luciano Rondinella, 18° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 11° posto
  • 1971
    • Doveva presentare Stella Nera (Russo - Genta) whit Luciano Rondinella, 19° Festival of Neapolitan Song]] - programm clouse for motivi organizzativi
  • 2001
    • L'Urdemo Emigrante (V. Campagnoli - G. Campagnoli - M. Guida - G. Quirito) whit Francesco Merola, 24° Festival of Neapolitan Song - 1° Posto/Victory

[edit] Festival of Sanremo

[edit] Recordings (Selection)

[edit] 33 giri

[edit] 45 giri

[edit] CDs

[edit] Raccolte parziali

[edit] Single

[edit] Filmography

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ "I Cavalieri Crociati approdano al Gran Hotel La Sonrisa" La Repubblica, 29 novembre 2005, pag. 14
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