Paolo Conte

Paolo Conte (born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer, known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French chanson and Latin-American rhythms.

Conte was born in Asti, Piedmont. His parents were avid jazz fans, and Conte and his brothers Giorgio and Paolo spent their formative years listening to a lot of early jazz and blues recordings. After obtaining a law degree at the University of Parma, Conte started working as an assistant solicitor with his father, simultaneously pursuing his musical studies. He learned to play the trombone, the vibraphone and the piano, and after being part of several local bands formed a jazz ensamble with his brother on drums, the Paul Conte Quartet, with whom he made his record debut with the EP The Italian Way To Swing. In 1964, Paolo and Giorgio Conte were put under contract by Clan Celentano, and Paolo Conte made his official debut as composer with Vanna Brosio's "Ed ora te ne vai". In the following years, often paired with lyricist Vito Pallavicini, Conte penned hit songs for Adriano Celentano ("Siamo la coppia più bella del mondo", 1967, and "Azzurro", 1968), Caterina Caselli ("Insieme a te non ci sto più", 1968), Fausto Leali ("Deborah", 1968) and Enzo Jannacci ("Messico e nuvole", 1970).