Franco Simone

Francesco Luigi “Franco” Simone (born 21 July 1949) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer and television host, known as il poeta con la chitarra (“the poet with the guitar”) for the poetical value of his lyrics. Background Born in Acquarica del Capo in the province of Lecce, Apulia, Simone started his career winning the Castrocaro Music Festival in 1972. In 1974 he entered the competition at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song “Fiume grande”, obtaining his first success in the Italian hit parade. In 1977 he released the LP Respiro, whose title track remains among Simone’s most popular songs on streaming. The following year (1978) he released the album Paesaggio (Landscape), which reached the top of the hit charts in Argentina. The song Paisaje became one of the most popular songs in the Spanish language, with dozens of covers like those of Gilda and Vicentico. In 1993 his LP La Ley del Alma (y de la piel), containing the Spanish versions of his songs, reached the 13th position in the USA Billboard Hit Parade, first LP of the parade not sung in English 4 . From 2008 to 2011 he gave singing lessons at “Star Rose Academy” in Rome where he taught to sister Cristina Scuccia, th