Born on April 10th, 1946 in the northern city of Modena and raised in the nearby town of Sassuolo, Italian singer Caterina Caselli began her musical journey in her teens with a series of local live performances as a bassist, but would really make her mark with a series of high-profile talent contest entries. In 1963, the then seventeen-year-old entered Castrocaro Festival’s popular ‘New Voices’ competition, placing second. She was promptly picked up by Milan-based label MRC, with whom she released an unsuccessful 1984 double A-side entitled “Sciocca”/“Ti telefono tutte le sere”. Signing to CGD, she struck gold with the 1966 Gene Pitney duet “Nessuno mi può giudicare”, which had been passed on by fellow singer Adriano Celentano. Earning her runner-up status at Sanremo Festival, the song became a national hit, selling over a million units and sitting atop her home country’s chart for eleven weeks. It also inspired a film of the same name, starring Caselli herself and directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti. Later that year, her song “Perdono” led to a victory at Festivalbar and another themed film with Fizzarotti, and she saw out 1966 with the release of a debut album, Casco d'oro, its title a nod to her distinctive ‘golden helmet’ hairstyle. Continuing to rack up hits like "Sole Spento" while also landing acting roles in various films, she released her second LP, Diamoci del tu, in 1967, which was followed by a self-titled covers album in 1972 and an orchestral concept album entitled Primavera in 1974. With her popularity waning, she retired her singing career in 1975 to become a record label executive, sporadically resurfacing for duets, charity singles and acting roles in the following three decades. A late career highlight came in the form of 2006’s “Arrivederci amore, ciao”, which won a David di Donatello Award for Best Original Song.
