Singer, songwriter, and producer Tony Renis was born Elio Cesari in Milan, Italy on May 13, 1938. His career began in the mid-1950s when he teamed up with Adriano Celentano to form a duo that impersonated American comedy team Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He signed a record deal with Combo records and recorded a series of rock ‘n’ roll cover versions backed by the group I Combos. In 1959, he began his solo career with singles such as “Nessuno al mondo” (1959), “Morir d'amor” (1959), “Tenerezza” (1960), and “Piccolo indiano” (1961). Tony Renis made his Sanremo Music Festival in 1961 performing the song “Pozzanghere.” He came to prominence at the festival the following year performing his breakthrough song, “Quando, quando,” a track he co-wrote with Alberto Testa. He also began an acting career in 1961 with a role in the film Io bacio... tu baci. Tony Renis continued to release a series of singles and EPs throughout the 1960s, finally releasing his self-titled album in 1969. In the 1970s, he branched out as a songwriter and saw “Grande, grande, grande” – another song co-written with Testa – become a beloved classic, later covered by Shirley Bassey, Vikki Carr, Celine Dion & Luciano Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias, and others. Tony Renis won a Nastro d'Argento award in 1974 his score to the film Brothers Blue. Stepping away from performing, he set his site on writing as well as producing – he is credited for discovering and nurturing the career of Nikka Costa. He composed the song “The Prayer” – performed by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli - for the animated film Quest for Camelot (1998), winning a Golden Globe Award in the process. Six years later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for the song “Merry Christmas in Love” from the 2004 film Christmas in Love.
