Nicola Di Bari

Acclaimed singer and songwriter Nicola Di Bari hails from the town of Zapponeta in Apulia. He was born Michele Nicola Scommegna as the youngest of ten children from a family of farmers. Nicola initially studied accountancy before finding his true calling as a musician. His career took off in 1962 when he won a song contest held in Cologno Monzese, Milan. Nicola's successful entry, "Piano, pianino", became one of several singles released on the Italian record label SAAR. Between 1964 and 1967, Nicola entered Cantagiro summer song contests and three Sanremo music festivals. One of his biggest hits was "La prima cosa bella" which he wrote and performed in 1970 and which went to the top of the Italian charts. He took out back-to-back first prizes at the Sanremo, respectively in 1971 with "Il cuore è uno zingaro" and the lovely ballad "Chitarra suona più piano", and, in 1972, with "I giorni dell'arcobaleno". Until 1973, Nicola had a recording contract with RCA, subsequently signing with WEA Italiana. At the height of his popularity in the early and mid-1970s, Nicola Di Bari featured as an actor in a handful of films, notably as a priest in the romantic comedy La ragazza del prete (1970) and (in a small supporting role) in Carlo Lizzani's crime drama Torino nera (1972). He was also hugely popular in South America which led him to record his entire repertoire of songs in Spanish. From 1967, he has been married to Agnese Girardello. He is the father of four children.