Iva Zanicchi

Iva Zanicchi (born 18 January 1940) is an Italian pop singer and politician. She has a mezzo-soprano voice and is nick-named by the press as "Eagle of Ligonchio".
Biography
Iva Zanicchi was born in Ligonchio, in the province of Reggio Emilia to Zefiro (1909–2004) and Elsa Raffaelli (1914–2010). Her career began in 1962 at the Castrocaro Music Festival, where she earned third place. She won the Sanremo song festival in 1967 with Non pensare a me, in 1969 with "Zingara" and again in 1974 with "Ciao cara, come stai?". Zanicchi remains the only woman singer to have won that festival's prize three times. In 1969, she represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest in Madrid with "Due grosse lacrime bianche", finishing 13th. She represented Italy in the V in Rio with Tu non-sei più innamorato di me in 1970. A concert at the Paris Olympia and a tour (United States, Canada, South America and the Soviet Union) followed. Zanicchi later also toured Australia and Japan. Has worked with Mikis Theodorakis, Charles Aznavour and Luigi Tenco, and has made numerous recordings. Has performed at Madison Square Gardens, New York (1974) and the Teatro Regio (Parma). In total, Zanicchi released 14 albums during the 1970s, including a Christmas-themed, Neapolitan and Spanish language recordings.
From 1987 to 2000 Zanicchi hosted the television game show OK, il Prezzo è Giusto!, the Italian version of The Price Is Right as the only female host in the history of the game show worldwide (since then, other countries have had versions of the show hosted by a woman).
In 2004 she was one of Forza Italia's candidates at the European Parliament elections, polling nearly 35,000 but not enough to be elected. However, as the highest-polling among the candidates failing to be elected, Zanicchi took up her seat in Strasburg in May 2008, representing Forza Italia, when EuroMP Mario Mantovani left to become a PdL senator. She was confirmed in her post at the European elections of June 2009.
Curiosity
In 2009, a band called I VazzaNikki was started, the name being a clear reference and tribute to Iva Zanicchi. The idea of the group came during a conversation between the Italian comedians Valerio Lundini, who is one of the singers and the keyboard player of the band, and Greg, who suggested the name. The objective was to play rock'n'roll and rockabilly music, inspired by the American 1950s. The band characterizes for ironic and nonsense songs, and even performed in the TV broadcast Una pezza di Lundini, hosted by Lundini on Rai Uno.
Discography
Albums
1965: Iva Zanicchi
1967: Fra noi
1968: Unchained Melody
1970: Iva senza tempo
1970: Caro Theodorakis... Iva
1971: Caro Aznavour... Iva
1971: Caro Tenco... Iva
1971: Shalom
1972: Fantasia
1972: Dall'amore in poi
1973: Le giornate dell'amore
1974: Io ti propongo
1974; ¿Chao Iva cómo estás? (Spanish)
1975: Io sarò la tua idea
1976: Confessioni
1976: The Golden Orpheus '76 (live in Bulgaria)
1976: Cara Napoli
1978: Con la voglia di te
1978: Playboy
1980: D'Iva
1980: D'Iva (Spanish Version)
1981: Iva Zanicchi1981: Nostalgias (Spanish)1982: Yo, por amarte (Spanish)1984: Quando arriverà1984: Iva 851987: Care colleghe1988: Nefertari1991: Come mi vorrei2003: Fossi un tango2009: Colori d'amore2013: In cerca di teSingles (Italy)
1963: Zero in amore / Come un tramonto1963: Tu dirai/Sei ore1964: Come ti vorrei/La nostra spiaggia1964: Credi/Resta sola come sei1964: Come ti vorrei / Chi potrà amarti1965: I tuoi anni più belli / Un altro giorno verrà 1965: Accarezzami amore / Mi cercherai1965: Caro mio / Non tornar mai1966: La notte dell'addio / Caldo è l'amore1966: Fra noi / Gold Snake1966: Ma pecché / Tu saje a verità1966: Monete d’oro / Ci amiamo troppo1967: Non pensare a me / Vita1967: Quel momento / Dove è lui1967: Le montagne (ci amiamo troppo) / Vivere non-vivere1967: Dolcemente / Come stai bene e tu?1968: Per vivere / Non accetterò1968: Amore amor / Sleeping1968: La felicità / Anche così1968: La felicità / Ci vuole così poco1968: Senza catene / Diverso dagli altri1969: Zingara / Io sogno1969: Due grosse lacrime bianche / Tienimi con te1969: Un bacio sulla fronte / Accanto a te1969: Che vuoi che sia / Perché mai1969: Vivrò / Estasi d'amore1970: L'arca di Noé / Aria di settembre1970: Un uomo senza tempo / Un attimo1970: Un fiume amaro / Il sogno é fumo1970: Un fiume amaro / Tienimi con te1970: Una storia di mezzanotte / Il bimbo e la gazzella1971: La riva bianca e la riva nera / Tu non-sei più innamorato di me1971: Coraggio e paura / Sciogli i cavalli al vento1972: Ma che amore / Il mio bambino1972: Nonostante lei / Non scordarti di me1972: Alla mia gente / Dall'amore in poi1972: La mia sera / Il sole splende ancora1972: Mi ha stregato il viso tuo / A te1973: I mulini della mente / Basterà1973: Le giornate dell'amore / Chi mi manca é lui1973: Fred Bongusto:White Christmas/ Natale dura un giorno1974: L'indifferenza / Sarà domani1974: Ciao cara come stai? / Vendetta1974: Testarda io / Sei tornato a casa tua1975: Testarda io / E la notte é qui1975: Io sarò la tua idea / Jesus1976: Mamma tutto / Dormi,amore dormi1976: I discorsi tuoi / Confessioni1977: Arrivederci padre / Che uomo sei1977: Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara / 'O destino1977: Mal d'amore / Selvaggio1978: Con la voglia di te / Sei contento1979: Per te / Pronto 1131979: La valigia / Ditemi1979: A parte il fatto / Capirai1981: Ardente / E tu mai1983: Aria di luna / Amico1984: Chi (mi darà) / Comandante1984: Quando arriverà / Sera di vento1985: Da domani senza te / Aria di luna1987: Volo / Uomini e no2001: Ho bisogno di te 2009: Ti voglio senza amoreSanremo Music Festival
1965: I tuoi anni più belli (Mogol-Gaspari-Polito), coupled with Gene Pitney
1966: La notte dell'addio (Diverio-Testa), coupled with Vic Dana
1967: Non pensare a me, coupled with Claudio Villa
1968: Per vivere (Nisa-Bindi), coupled with Udo Jürgens
1969: Zingara (Albertelli-Riccardi), coupled with Bobby Solo
1970: L'arca di Noè (Endrigo), coupled with Sergio Endrigo
1974: Ciao cara come stai? (Dinaro-Daiano-Janne-Malgioglio)
1984: Chi (mi darà) (Balsamo-Malgioglio-Balsamo)
2003: Fossi un tango (Lana-Donati)
2009: Ti voglio senza amore2022: Voglio amartiBibliography
2001: Polenta di castagne2005: I prati di SaraFilmography
Game show host
She hosted the Italian version of The Price Is Right, called "OK, il prezzo è giusto''". She took over for Gigi Sabani in the 1986–87 season and was succeeded by Maria Teresa Ruta in 2000. When she took a brief absence from the show in 1999, Emanuela Folliero hosted in her place.
References
External links
Official site
Fan site
European Parliament biography of Iva Zanicchi
1940 births
Living people
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Italy
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1969
Italian women singers
Sanremo Music Festival winners
People from the Province of Reggio Emilia
The People of Freedom MEPs
Forza Italia MEPs
MEPs for Italy 2004–2009
MEPs for Italy 2009–2014
21st-century women MEPs for Italy
Scepter Records artists
Spanish-language singers of Italy