Caterina Valente | |
|---|---|
 Valente in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 14 January 1931 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1953–2003 |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931) is an Italian-French multilingual singer, guitarist and dancer. She speaks six languages and sings in eleven. While she is best known as a performer in Europe, Valente spent part of her career in the United States, where she performed alongside Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.
She was born in Paris to Italian parents Giuseppe and Maria Valente.[1] In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In 1958, she filmed the musical comedy Hier bin ich – hier bleib ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) which featured a guest appearance by Bill Haley & His Comets. During Haley's segment, Valente sang a duet with Haley on a newly recorded version of his song "Vive la Rock and Roll".[2]
Her brother—Italian musician, singer and film actor Silvio Francesco [de] (1927–2000)—performed with her, sang many duets, danced, and played the clarinet in the shadow of his famous sister.
In Germany, she was a major performer of Schlager music. There, she recorded Cole Porter's I Love Paris under the German title Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe, which sold more than 900,000 copies from its release in November 1954 to December 1958, according to Der Spiegel's report of January 1959.[3] By a report from 1978, Valente's single The Breeze and I has sold more than 1,000,000 copies,[4] making it her best-selling record. Both songs were published by the German Polydor label; their success made Valente a star. At the end of 1958, this collaboration was terminated and she changed to Teldec Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH.[5]
In the same year, 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award.[6]
In the mid-1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca[7] and London labels.[8] Valente was a favorite of singer Perry Como, making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. In 1964–65, she was co-host (with Carol Burnett and initially Bob Newhart) of The Entertainers , a CBS variety show for which she was awarded the recognition of best female vocalist on American TV .[1] . She was a frequent guest on The Dean Martin Show.[9] Valente also made three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Count Basie, [10] Louis Armstrong,[11] Chet Baker,[12] Perry Como,[13] Ella Fitzgerald,[11] Benny Goodman,[14] Woody Herman,[15] Claus Ogerman,[7] Tommy Dorsey Orchestra,[15] [16] Sy Oliver,[17] Buddy Rich[15] and Edmundo Ros[18]
In 1970 she appeared in the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium singing Before the Parade Passes By and The Breeze and I.[19]
A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel.[20] She retired in 2003.
In 2019 her hit song from 1959, Bongo cha cha cha was included in the soundtrack of Spider-Man: Far from Home, directed by Jon Watts, becoming viral and risen to new popularity.[21][22][23][24]
In 2021 the song went viral on social media platform TikTok, thanks to its use for a trend that has collected over 250 million views, started from Latin countries and South America, and then popularized also in Italy and Germany.[21][22][23][24]
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