Schlager singer and actor Ludovico Oxens Torriani – born in Geneva, Switzerland on September 21, 1920 – was better known by his stage name Vico Torriani. Growing up in St. Moritz, Switzerland, he trained to be a chef while also moonlighting as a singer. He successfully opened his own restaurant and penned several cookbooks, but still dreamt of being a singer. He entered – and won - a talent competition in 1945, which kickstarted his music career. After releasing several singles in Switzerland, he signed with Decca Records in 1951 and released a series of singles that were released throughout Europe including “Zuber Von Paris” (1951), “Mona Lisa” (1951), “Jodel-Echo” (1952), and “Granada” (1953), which has become his signature song. His popularity as a singer led to offers for film roles and between 1952 and 1962, he appeared in such films as My Wife is Being Stupid (1952), Guitars of Love (1954), The Star of Santa Clara (1958), and I Must Go to the City (1962). Vico Torriani became a fixture on TV, hosting several shows in Germany. He represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 but did not win the competition. In 1967, he began hosting the German TV show Der goldene Schuß until it was cancelled three years later. Still a recording artist, he continued to be a popular singer of schlager and Volkstümliche Musik songs. To acknowledge his long career, he was honored with a Bambi lifetime achievement award in 1995. Vico Torriani died on February 25, 1998, at the age of 77.
