Caterina Valente

With voice that was both bright and warm, singer, guitarist, and dancer Caterina Valente was a multilingual European artist who became one of the most beloved performers of her generation. After emerging on the continent in 1954 with "Istanbul," she had her first British and American hits with 1955's "Malagueña" and "The Breeze and I," the biggest single of her career. After further establishing herself with full-length releases like 1956's The Hi-Fi Nightingale and next year's Plenty Valente!, she was nominated for a Grammy in 1959 for "La strada del amore" (Best Vocal Performance, Female). Valente went on to release hundreds more albums, many of them dedicated to a particular region of the world (for example, Argentina, Australia, or the U.S.) or a particular language (she spoke six languages and sang in 12). Over the years, she shared the stage with artists ranging from Bing Crosby and Dean Martin to Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie, and played to millions on television programs such as Perry Como's show in the U.S. and Germany's Musik ist Trumpf. While lifetime-achievement accolades began rolling in during the '80s, Valente didn't retire until the early 2000s, after releasing 2001's Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel. In 2019, her song "Bongo cha cha cha" (1959) appeared on the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Far from Home; the tune went viral on TikTok in 2021, garnering hundreds of millions of views internationally before Valente's death in 2024.Born in Paris, France, in 1931, Caterina Germaine Maria Valente grew up in an Italian circus family. Her mother was a clown and her father was an accordion player; as a child she worked in the circus as well. She performed in Europe as a singer for several years (and in a duo with her brother Silvio Francesco), but her career as an internationally known vocalist began in 1953 when she joined Kurt Edelhagen's band in Germany. She was soon signed to Polydor and released recordings of "Istanbul" and Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" to European audiences in 1954. Her popularity extended to American and British audiences with the next year's "Malagueña," penned by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona; she was introduced on TV's Colgate Comedy Hour by Gordon MacRae as "the Malagueña girl." Later in 1955, she released the Lecuona song "Andalucia" and English version "The Breeze and I," the latter of which would go on to become a huge international hit, including reaching the Top Ten in the U.S. and the U.K. In the meantime, Valente signed with Decca and released albums such as The Hi-Fi Nightingale (1956), Olé Caterina (1957), and Plenty Valente! (1957). By that time, she was a truly multilingual artist, performing her cabaret act and issuing recordings in six languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish. During the '50s and '60s, this resulted in chart hits in many countries, including Italy ("Till," "Personalita," "Nessuno al mondo"), Germany ("Wo meine Sonne scheint," "Steig in das Traumboot der Liebe"), and France ("Bim bom bey," "39 de fièvre," "Sait-on jamais"). In 1959, Valente received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Vocal Performance, Female for "La strada del amore." That year, she also duetted with Bill Haley & His Comets in the film Hier bin ich - hier bleib' ich. Her version of "La golondrina" appeared on one of the first charity albums, 1963's All Star Festival, whose proceeds aided refugees. During this first decade of her career, Valente appeared on popular music television series and variety shows around the world, including on various Perry Como programs, The Bing Crosby Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Musik ist Trumpf. In 1964 and 1965, she co-hosted CBS's The Entertainers with Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett.Meanwhile, Valente appeared on-stage with the likes of Chet Baker, Dean Martin, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Danny Kaye, and many, many others. In 1970, she participated in the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium (singing "The Breeze and I" and "Before the Parade Passes By"). While her most productive period was by then behind her, she continued to release albums into the 1980s, including Caterina Valente '86 with the Count Basie Orchestra, and to make occasional live appearances through the '90s, amid a plethora of compilation releases and lifetime achievement awards. She paired with harpist Catherine Michel for her final album, Girltalk, which saw release in 2001, and she was awarded Germany's Echo Music Prize in 2002.While enjoying her retirement, Valente's recording of "Bongo cha cha cha" (1959) was included on the soundtrack for the 2019 blockbuster film Spider-Man: Far from Home; the same track went viral on TikTok in 2021, garnering hundreds of millions of views internationally. Valente died at her home in Switzerland on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93.
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