Salvatore Adamo

Salvatore Adamo
Salvatore, Knight Adamo (November 1, 1943) is a Belgian-Italian musician, singer and composer, who is known for his romantic ballads. Adamo was born in Comiso, Sicily, Italy, and has lived in Belgium since the age of three, which is why he has dual citizenship. By 1964, he was the world's best-selling artist behind The Beatles. Through his career, he sold more than 80 million albums and 20 million singles worldwide, making him the best-selling Belgian artist of all time, and one of the most commercially successful musicians in the world.
He first gained popularity throughout Europe and later in the Middle East, Latin America, Japan, and the United States. Adamo mainly performs in French but has also sung in Italian, Dutch, English, German, Spanish, Japanese, and Turkish. "Tombe la neige", "La nuit", "Vous permettez, Monsieur ?", "Inch'Allah" and "C'est ma vie" remain his best known songs.
Since 2001 Adamo holds the Belgian noble title of Ridder, similar to the English title of "Knight".
Early life
The father of Adamo, Antonio, emigrated to Belgium in February 1947 to work as a colliery worker in the mines of Marcinelle. Four months later his wife, Concetta, and their son, Salvatore, joined him in the town of Ghlin, before moving to Jemappes (Mons).
In 1956, Salvatore was bedridden for a year with meningitis.
Salvatore's parents did not want their son to become a miner, so he 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. Salvatore was a dedicated student at school and distinguished himself in music and the arts.
Career
Adamo's early influences were the poetry of Victor Hugo and Jacques Prévert, the music of French singer-songwriters like 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 on 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, the most famous being "Tombe la neige" ("The snow falls") in 1963, "La nuit" ("The Night") in 1964, "Mes mains sur tes hanches" ("My hands on your hips") in 1965 and "Inch'Allah". The self-penned "Petit bonheur" ("Little Happiness") sold over one million copies by April 1970, and was awarded a gold disc.
Adamo has sold over 100 million copies of recordings worldwide. He has recorded in many languages and, besides France and Belgium, had hits in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and also in Japan, where he toured repeatedly. He has had hits and toured also in Latin America and throughout the Middle East.
In Chile, 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 seaside resort of Viña del Mar, where he once had to sing in three different, sold-out venues in the same night. In the 1980s, Adamo's career faltered, as the style of his music was no longer fashionable. Since the 1990s, however, and on the crest of a nostalgia wave, he has successfully resumed composing, issuing records and touring, starting with a full season at the Casino de Paris venue in April 1990.
In 2003, he released the album Zanzibar, in collaboration with his friend the singer Arno, whose repertoire already included a famous cover of the song Les Filles du Bord de Mer. During a 2004 tour, Adamo was admitted to a Paris hospital because he had become unwell during a performance. Consequently, a number of performances were cancelled. Even later in life, Adamo proved to still have a lot of fans in Latin America. In 2018, during a tour, 50,000 people gathered at Santiago airport in Chile to see their idol.
In 2023, he produced an album of French adaptations of English language hits by Elton John, Pearl Jam and 10cc. The album is entitled In French Please! A concert tour in 2023, celebrating his 60 year career was jeopardized due to the ongoing health problems of the 79-year-old Adamo. In the end, the first concerts went ahead as planned.
Filmography
Adamo acted in a few French-language movies. He made his film debut in Les Arnaud (1967), which starred Bourvil. He acted in L'ardoise (1970) of Claude Bernard-Aubert, together with Michel Constantin and Jess Hahn. Adamo himself co-wrote, directed and acted in L'île au coquelicot (1972).
Years later, he reappeared in the series La Légende de Croc-Blanc (1992) and in the movie Laisse tes mains sur mes hanches (2003). Adamo acted as himself in Lili David (2012) and Les Chamois (2017).
In popular culture
Amália Rodrigues recorded "Inch'Allah" in French. More than five hundred different versions of his chanson "Tombe la neige", one of his many international hits worldwide, exist. It has been covered in Bulgarian, Turkish ("Her Yerde Kar Var"), Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Chinese (Cantopop).
Honours and awards
In 2001, Adamo was raised into the Belgian nobility (with motto Humblement mais dignement) by King Albert II and given for life the Belgian noble title Ridder. He was appointed an Officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown in 2002. In 2014, Adamo was honored at Victoires de la Musique in France. For his 38 visits to Japan and over 500 concerts, his influence on Japanese popular music, and his work as UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Adamo was honored Order of the Rising Sun in 2016.
Decorations
Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres: 1987
Knight in the Order of the Crown: 1991
Officer in the Order of the Crown: 2002
Officer of the French Legion of Honour: 2005
Commander in the Order of the Star of Italy: 2015
Commander in the Walloon Order of Merit (fr): 2015
Japanese Order of the Rising Sun: 2016
Awards
Dutch Edison Award: 1964 (album Vous Permettez Monsieur?)
French Miden trophy: 1965, 1966, 1967
Zamu Music Award for his entire career: 2002
Grand Prix international de poésie francophone by Société des poètes et artistes de France: 2010
Victoires de la Musique Lifetime achievement award: 2014
Octaves de la Musique (fr) Lifetime achievement award: 2014
Grands prix SACEM: 2017
D6bels Music Awards (fr) Prix d'Honneur: 2018
Premio Tenco (it): 2018
Vagonate di vinile award of the Associazione Vinile Italiana: 2018
SABAM Lifetime achievement award: 2023
Honours
Honorary citizen of Jemappes: 1966
Ville de Jemappes Silver Medal: 1973
UNICEF ambassador: 1993
Created Knight Adamo by Royal Decree, with devise Humbly but with dignity: 2001
Honorary citizen of Montreal, Canada: 2002
Honorary citizen of Mons, Belgium: 2002
Honorary citizen of Comiso, Italy: 2002
Bronzen Zinneke: 2003
Honorary citizen of Paris, France: 2005
Honorary citizen of Uccle, Belgium: 2010
Radio 2 Hall of Fame: 2014
Doctorat honoris causa University of Mons: 2014
27 Golden albums, of which some with more than 1 million copies
Sold more than 130 million discs worldwide
Personal life
At the end of the 1960s, Adamo married Nicole. Their children were Anthony (born in 1969), Benjamin, and then Amélie. At the height of his stardom, his own father died by drowning on 7 August 1966. His younger sister Délizia was also a recording artist. He wrote a number of songs for his sister, including her debut hit "Prends le chien" in 1974. She also joined him in his tour in 1975. Adamo has two sons (1969 and 1981) and a daughter (1980). He has two granddaughters.
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 and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and others. In 2004, health problems forced him to cancel a scheduled tour but, since 2007, he started touring again. In December 2011, he performed in Espinho, Portugal and Bucharest, Romania.
Trivia
In Dolce Paola, he sang about Paola, the later queen of Belgium. In the press, rumors spread that Adamo had an affair with the princess. He later received a request from Prince Philippe to also compose a song for his wife Mathilde, the Duchess of Brabant.
Since 1994, there has been a Dutch tulip named Adamo.
Vous permettez, monsieur? was at No 1 on the 1964 annual list.
In the commune of Sin-le-Noble in France, there is a Rue Salvatore Adamo.
Discography
Studio albums
1962 : Sans Toi Ma mie (Pathé-Marconi Records – France)
1963 : Chansons non-commerciales (Belgium)
1964 : Tombe la neige
1964 : Vous Permettez Monsieur (Canada)
1964 : Mes 21 ans (Canada)
1965 : La Nuit, vol. 2
1967 : Notre roman (Canada)
1967 : Ton nom (Canada)
1968 : J'ai tant de rêves dans mes bagages
1968 : Chansons pour l'été (Canada)
1969 : Petit Bonheur
1971 : Chansons de mes seize ans (Rerelease Emidisc)
1972 : Quand tu reviendras
1973 : A ceux qui rêvent encore
1975 : Mademoiselle attendez (Canada) (with 7 unpublished titles in France)
1975 : Jusqu'à l'amour
1976 : Voyage jusqu'à toi
1977 : Et on chantait
1979 : Pauvre Liberté
1981 : " Printemps sous la neige" (Japan, disques "Victor" with 6 unpublished titles in France)
1982 : Puzzle
1986 : Autre chose (Double album Belgium RCA Ariola/Charles TALAR)
1987 : Avec des si
1989 : Sur la route des étoiles
1992 : Rêveur de fond
1995 : La Vie comme elle passe
1997 : Regards
2001 : Par les temps qui courent
2003 : Zanzibar
2007 : La Part de l'ange
2008 : Le Bal des gens bien (Remake of Adamo songs as duos with 18 other singers)
2010 : De toi à moi
2012 : La grande roue
2014 : Adamo chante Bécaud
2016 : L'Amour n'a jamais tort
2018 : Si vous saviez...
2023 : In French Please!
Albums (other languages)
In German
1988 : Seine Grossen Erfolge
1999 : Single Hits
2003 : So Bin Ich, Das Beste
2011 : All the Best
Spanish
1981 : Aquellas manos en tu cintura
1986 : Buscador de oro
1990 : Las mejores canciones
1998 : Simplemente lo mejor
2003 : Lo mejor de...48 – Grandes éxitos
2004 : En Chile – Live
2004 : 24 Grandes éxitos en castellano
2005 : Mis manos en tu cintura
2006 : Voces del amor
2011 : 30 Grandes de
Turkish
1964 : ‘’Her yerde kar var’’
Compilation albums
1962: Adamo, (25 cm, Polydor)
1967: 'Hits of Adamo' (hits from 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966 – Orchestra conducted by O.Saintal and A. Goraguer, English sleeve note EMI LP 3601)
1974: -EMI/Odeon (Greatest hits in Spanish)
1978: (CBS, new arrangements by Roger Loubet and Franck Fiévez – with )
1993: 30 ans (20 great songs, new recordings CARRERE/WEA)
1993: (1979/1991) (AMC Belgium, unreleased titles)
2002: (Double CD Atoll Sony 1979/1994 with unreleased titles)
2002: (compilation – Long Box 3 CDs EMI)
2003: 1963/1975 (compilation – first 12 albums, EMI)
2003: (Long Box 3 CDs EMI (with previously unreleased titles and foreign versions)
2005: Platinum Collection (compilation – 3 CD collection, EMI, 2 unreleased tracks)
2019: 1962-1975 (8 CD PIAS)
In Italian
1996:
1998:
1998:
2005: Studio Collection
Live albums
1965 : Adamo à l'Olympia
1967 : Olympia 67
1968 : A la place des arts de Montréal (Canada)
1969 : Olympia 69
1969 : Adamo in Japan live
1970 : Adamo in Deutschland: Live-Konzert aus der Philharmonie in Berlin (Double album)
1971 : Olympia 71
1972 : Live in Japan 72
1974 : Live in Japan 74
1977 : Olympia 77 (CBS)
1981 : Live au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées 80 (Teldec Germany Import EMI) (Double album)
1982 : Japan concert 81 (disques Victor double album with le Choral Echo and String Orchestra Arrangements Gérard Sabbe)
1984 : Japan Best sélection (studio remix of 20 live tracks Concert 81) (Rereleased 1990 and 1992 in France 16 titles – Pomme Music Sony)
1992 : Live in Japan (EMI Toshiba Japan) (CD and DVD with different tracks at times)
1992 : A l'Olympia – Collection Or (Sony International) (Olympia '77 + 4 titles in studio)
1994 : C'est ma vie. Le meilleur d'Adamo en public (At Théâtre Royal de Mons) (Double CD Flarenasch Carrère, 34 titles)
1994 : Symphonic'Adamo Live à Liège on 22 Avril 1994) (SA Music)
1994 : C'est Ma Vie – Enregistrement public (Flarenasch Carrère France) ("Les meilleurs moments" 18 titles)
1998 : Best Of – Le meilleur En Public (Wagram France)
2002 : A l'Olympia (Wagram France 1995 / 2002)
2004 : Un soir au Zanzibar (En public au Cirque Royal de Bruxelles) (Double CD and DVD Polydor)
2004 : En Vivo, Estadio Chile 2003 (Double album EMI in Spanish live – EMI Chili)
Singles
(Selective)
1963: "Tombe la neige"
1963: "Sans toi mamie"
1963: "Amour perdu"
1963: "N'est-ce pas merveileux?"
1964: "Vous permettez, monsieur?"
1964: "La Nuit"
1964: "Quand les roses"
1964: "Si jamais"
1965: "Dolce Paola"
1965: "Les Filles du bord de mer"
1965: "Elle..."
1965: "Mes mains sur tes hanches"
1965: "Viens ma brune"
1965: "J'aime"
1965: "Comme toujours"
1966: "Ton Nom"
1966: "Une meche de cheveux"
1966: "Tenez-vous bien"
1967: "Une larme aux nuages"
1967: "Inch'Allah"
1967: "Ensemble"
1967: "L'amour te ressemble"
1967: "Notre roman"
1967: "Le néon"
1968: "F... comme femme"
1968: "Le ruisseau de mon enfance"
1968: "Et sur la mer..."
1968: "Pauvre Verlaine"
1968: "L'Amour te ressemble"
1968: "Une larme aux nuages"
1968: "La valse d'été"
1968: "J'ai tant de rêves dans mes bagages"
1969: "A demain sur la lune"
1969: "Petit bonheur"
1969: "Les gratte-ciel"
1970: "Va mon bateau"
1970: "Les belles dames"
1970: "Si le ciel est amoureux de toi"
1970: "Les belles dames" / Die schönen Damen
1970: "Alors.. reviens mois"
1971: "J'avais oublié que les roses sont roses"
1971: "Caresse"
1971: "Et t'oublier"
1971: "A demain sur la lune"
1971: "Sois heureuse rose"
1972: "Femme aux yeux d'amour"
1972: "Quand tu reviendras"
1972: "Mon amour, sors de chez toi"
1973: "Crazy Lue"
1973: "Gwendolina"
1973: "Rosalie, c'est la vie"
1973: "Marie la Mer"
1975: "C'est ma vie"
1975: "Prête-moi une chanson"
1976: "Voyage jusqu'à toi"
1976: "J'ai trouvé un été"
1980: "Et on chantait"
1980: "C'est pas legal"
2013: "Des belles personnes"
Singles (other languages)
In German
1964: "Gestatten Sie, Monsieur?" (Vous permettez, Monsieur?)
1965: "Eine Locke von deinem Haar" (Une mèche de cheveux)
1966: "Das Wunder der Liebe" (Notre Roman)
1968: "Es geht eine Träne auf Reisen" (Une larme aux nuages)
1968: "Der Walzer des Sommers" (La valse d'été)
1969: "Du bist so wie die Liebe" (L'Amour te resemble)
1970: "Ein kleines Glück" (Petit bonheur)
1970: "Komm in mein Boot" (Va mon bateau)
1971: "Bis morgen – auf dem Mond mit dir (A demain sur la lune)
1971: "Gute Reise, schöne Rose" (Sois heureuse rose)
1971: "Ich muss wieder lernen, die Rosen zu sehen"
1972: "Liebe Tag für Tag"
1972: "Mädchen, wildes Mädchen" (Femme aux yeux d'amour)
1972: "Die alte Dame, der Sänger und die Spatzen" (La vieille, l'idole et les oiseaux)
1975: "Leih' mir eine Melodie" (Prête-moi une chanson)
1976: "Die Reise zu dir" (Voyage jusqu'à toi)
1976: "Der Sommer, den ich fand" (J'ai trouvé un été)
1977: "Der Hund"
1978: "Klopfe beim Glück an die Tür" (Frappe à la porte du bonheur)
1979: "Zweimal Glück und zurück"
1980: "...und dann ein Lied" (Et on chantait)
1980: "Unsere Hochzeit"
1981: "Du bist wieder da"
1985: "Kapitän, wohin fährt unser Boot"
1986: "Verborgenes Gold"
1988: "Es gibt noch Engel"
1988: "Que sera"
1994: "Nach allem, was war"
In Italian
1962: "Perché" / "Cara bambina"
1963: "Sei qui con me" / "Che funerale"
1963: "Perduto amore" / "Gridare il tuo nome"
1964: "Vous permettez Monsieur?" / "Non voglio nascondermi"
1964: "Cade la neve" / "Lascia dire"
1965: "Dolce Paola" / "Pazienza"
1965: "La notte" (La Nuit) / "Non sei tu"
1965: "Non mi tenere il broncio" /"Lei"
1966: "Amo" / "Al nostro amore"
1966: "Una ciocca di capelli" / "Se mai"
1966: "Al nostro amore"
1967: "Inch'Allah (se Dio vuole)" / "Insieme"
1967: "Domani sur la luna"
1968: "Affida una lacrima al vento" / "Fermare il tempo"
1968: "La tua storia è una favola" / "Un anno fa"
1968: "Tu somigli all'amore" / "Domani sulla luna"
1969: "Accanto a te l'estate" / "Piangi poeta"
1970: "Felicità" / "Noi"
1971: "Non aver paura" / "Il nostro amore"
1971: "Donna" / "Ma per te lo farei"
1972: "Bocca ciliegia pelle di pesca" / "Per un anno d'amore"
1973: "Donne dell'estate" / "Mi manchi tu"
1974: "E muore un amore" / "Ed ecco che vivo"
1975: "E la mia vita" / "La pace dei campi"
1976: "Un'estate per te" / "Ballo"
1981: "Cara Italia"
1987: "Mare" / "Lontano"
In Spanish
1964: "La noche" (La Nuit)
1965: "Permíteme Señor" / "Después"
1966: "Mis Manos en tu Cintura" / "Ella..."
1966: "L'amour e Ressemble" / "Nada Que Hacer"
1967: "Le Neón" / "Marcia Anche Tu"
1968: "Vals de Verano" / "Y Sobre el Mar"
1968: "Inch' Allah" / "Nuestra Novela"
1969: "El Arroyo de mi Infancia" / "Un Año Hará"
1974: "Marie La Mer" / "Sólo Una Mujer"
1975: "Los Campos en Paz" / "Es Mi Vida"
DVDs
2003: Live in Japan 1992
2004: Un soir au Zanzibar (live)
2005: Salvatore Adamo en Chile
2020: En Concert 1976 (live)
2023: Salvatore Adamo : Documents TV (1963-1970)
Publications
Salvatore Adamo, Chansons racontées aux enfants (Hachette): 1969
Le Charmeur d'Océans (preface by Raymond Devos – éditions Claude de la Lande): 1980
Les Mots de l'Ame (éditions Anne Sigier): 1993
Le Souvenir du Bonheur Est Encore du Bonheur (éditions Albin Michel): 2001
À Ceux Qui Rêvent Encore (éditions Albin Michel): 2001
Bibliography
Salvatore Adamo by Yves Salgues, Paris 1975
Recherches techniques sur la poésie de Salvatore Adamo by Maryse Tessonneau. Namur. 1985
Adamo – C'est sa vie by Thierry Coljon, éditions du Félin (France), 2003
Adamo 50 ans de succès by Thierry Coljon. Renaissance, 2013
Salvatore Adamo, une Etoile pas comme les autres by Michèle Hazana et Martine Margot, 2021
References
External links
Adamo Italian website
1943 births
Living people
Belgian knights
Belgian male singer-songwriters
Belgian singer-songwriters
Italian emigrants to Belgium
French-language singers of Belgium
Spanish-language singers of Belgium
Portuguese-language singers of Belgium
Italian-language singers of Belgium
People from Mons
Schlager musicians
Pathé-Marconi artists
Capitol Records artists
20th-century Belgian male singers
20th-century Belgian singers
21st-century Belgian male singers
21st-century Belgian singers
French-language singers of Italy
German-language singers of Italy
Spanish-language singers of Italy
Japanese-language singers of Italy
Portuguese-language singers of Italy
20th-century Italian male singers
20th-century Italian singers
21st-century Italian male singers
21st-century Italian singers