Mario Panzeri | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 October 1911 (1911-10-11) |
| Died | 19 May 1991(1991-05-19) (aged 79) Milan, Italy |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
Mario Panzeri (11 October 1911 – 19 May 1991) was an Italian lyricist and composer. He is well known for his composed songs that include "Maramao perché sei morto?" "Pippo non lo sa", "Lettera a Pinocchio", and "Grazie dei fiori", which wonthe first edition of theSanremo Music Festival in 1951.
Panzeri was the composer ofSanremo Music Festival 1964 andEurovision Song Contest 1964 winning song "Non ho l'età".
Born inMilan, Panzeri started his career as a revue actor and singer. He began composing songs in the second half of the 1930s, having large success with two songs, "Maramao perché sei morto?" and "Pippo non lo sa", which also raised some controversies as they were accused of mocking some important Fascist personalities (Costanzo Ciano andAchille Starace, respectively). In 1951 a song he composed, "Grazie dei fiori", wonthe first edition of theSanremo Music Festival. In 1959 his song "Lettera a Pinocchio" was presented at the first edition of theZecchino d'Oro and later became a hit thanks to the version byJohnny Dorelli.[1][2][3]
In the 1960s Panzeri started a successful collaboration withDaniele Pace and his songs contributed to launch the careers of notable singers such asGigliola Cinquetti, for whom he composed "Non ho l'età", which would go on to win theSanremo Music Festival 1964 and theEurovision Song Contest 1964, as well as "Alle porte del sole", "Sì" and other songs;Caterina Caselli, for whom he wrote the hit "Nessuno mi può giudicare"; andOrietta Berti, for whom he composed most of her 1960s–1970s repertoire.[1][2][3]
