Franco IV e Franco I were an Italian pop musical and vocal duo, active between the 1960s and the early 1970s.

Franco IV e Franco I in Radiocorriere magazine, 1968.

Career

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The duo consisted of Francesco "Franco" Romano (born in Naples on 26 July 1946) and Francesco "Franco" Calabrese (born in Naples on 10 March 1943).[1] They started performing under their birth names in the early 1960s, in music halls and clubs of Amalfi Coast.[1] Initially the duo had a repertoire of cover songs, mainly classics of the Canzone Napoletana, rearranged in a modern beat style.[1]

In 1968, shortly after adopting their stage name and starting to record original songs, they got a large success with the song "Ho scritto t'amo sulla sabbia", which reached the first place and stayed sixteen weeks in the top ten of the Italian hit parade.[1][2]

After a number of minor hits, the duo disbanded in the early 1970s as Romano decided to abandon his music career to pursue his studies.[1] Calabrese continued his musical career, recording some singles and continuing on performing live.[1]

Discography

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Album
  • 1968 - Franco IV e Franco I (Style, STMS 8067)
  • 1970 - Franco IV e Franco I (Style, STMS 8068)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Nicola Sisto. "Franco IV e Franco I". Gino Castaldo (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990.
  2. ^ Dario Salvatori. Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989. ISBN 8876054391.
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