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Salvatore, Knight Adamo, simply known as Adamo (born 1 November, 1943) is a Belgian composer and singer of ballads, mainly in French, but also in other languages such as German, Italian and Spanish. He had commercial success during the sixties and seventies, mostly in Europe and Latin America, but also in Japan and the US. Adamo has sold 100 million records worldwide. He now lives in Belgium. He is of Sicilian/Italian ancestry.
BiographyAdamo was born in Comiso, Sicily, Italy. His father Antonio, a well digger, emigrated to Belgium in February 1947 to work in the mines of Marcinelle, and in June of the same year, his wife, Concetta, a housewife, and their son Adamo joined him in the town of Ghlin before moving to Jemappes. In 1950, Adamo was bedridden for a year with meningitis. Adamo parents did not want their son to become a miner, so Adamo went to a Catholic school run by the Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes. By 1960, the family of Antonio and Concetta Adamo had seven children overall. Adamo grew up in Jemappes where he was a dedicated student at school and distinguished himself in Music and the arts, in general, from an early age, making an impression with his singing abilities. Although Adamo has spent most of his life in Belgium, he remains a citizen of Italy and a permanent resident of Belgium because Belgium, as many other countries, does not accept dual citizenship.
At the end of the sixties, Adamo married Nicole. Their son, Anthony, was born in 1969, while in the eighties Benjamin and then Amélie were born
. At the height of Adamo's stardom, his father died by drowning on 7 August 1966.
In 1984, Adamo had heart problems which necessitated a heart bypass operation and a temporary though total withdrawal from work. Since 1993, he has been an honorary UNICEF ambassador from Belgium and, in this capacity, has visited countries such as Vietnam, Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and others. In 2001, Adamo was named a chevalier by Albert II, King of the Belgians. In 2004, health problems forced Adamo to cancel a scheduled tour but, since 2007, he is touring again. Recently. he has performed in Espinho, Portugal.
There are versions of Tombe la Neige, (one of his many international hits) in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, plus other languages.
CareerAdamo's early influences were the poetry of Victor Hugo, the music of French crooners such as Jacques Prévert or Georges Brassens, and the Italian canzonette. He started singing and composing his own songs from an early age. His debut was in a Radio Luxembourg competition, where he participated as singer and composer of the song "Si j'osais" ("If I dared") winning the competition's final held in Paris, in 14 February 1960.
Adamo's first hit was "Sans toi, ma mie", in 1963, from his debut album 63/64. He followed this with a series of hits, "Tombe la neige" ("The snow falls "), "Vous permettez Monsieur" ("May I, Sir"), "La Nuit" (The Night) (1964) - "Dolce Paola" ("Sweet Paola"), "Les Filles du bord de mer" ("The girls at the beach"), "Mes mains sur tes hanches" ("My hands on your hips") (1965) - "Ton Nom ("Your Name"), "Une meche de cheveux" ("Lock of golden hair") (1966) - "Une larme aux nuages" ("A tear to the clouds"), "Inch'Allah" (1967) - "L'amour te ressemble" ("The love resembles to you"), "F... comme femme" ("F... like woman") (1968) - "A deOther songs: "En blu jeans...", "Manuel", etc.
Amália Rodrigues ("Queen of portuguese fado) ,recorded "Inch'Allah" in French.
Adamo briefly attempted movie acting when he was cast in the film Les Arnaud (1967), which starred Bourvil.
He has recorded in many languages and, besides France and Belgium, had hits in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and also in Japan, where he toured repeatedly.
Adamo has had hits and toured also in Latin America in countries, such as Chile, where the audience awarded him an appreciation prize known as the "Antorcha" (Gold and Silver Torch) at the "Festival de Viña del Mar" held yearly in the "Quinta Vergara", at the Internationally famous seaside resort of Viña del Mar, where he once had to sing in three different, sold-out venues in the same night.
In the eighties, Adamo's career faltered, as the style of his music was no longer fashionable. Since the nineties, however, and on the crest of a nostalgia wave, Adamo has successfully resumed composing, issuing records and touring, starting with a full season at the Casino de Paris venue in April 1990.
Albums CD- 1998 Regards
- 2001 Par les temps qui courent
- 2002 Les mots de l’âme (compilation)
- 2003 Zanzibar
- 2004 Un soir au Zanzibar (compilation Live) + DVD
- 2005 Platinum Collection (compilation)
- 2007 ''La part de l'ange
- 2008 Le bal des gens bien - Duets (compilation)
Biography book'ADAMO - C'est sa vie, Thierry Coljon *[1], éditions du Félin (France), 2003
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