Mike Francis

Francesco Puccioni (26 April 1961 – 30 January 2009), better known under his stage name Mike Francis, was an Italian singer and composer, born in Florence, Italy. Internationally, he was best known for his 1984 hit, “Survivor”, and his collaborations with American singer Amii Stewart. Career Puccioni formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l’Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. Under the stage name Mike Francis, he had his first hit with “Survivor” in 1984 and went on to record ten studio albums. Among his best known works is the song “Friends”, a collaboration with Amii Stewart released in 1984 which became a hit in the UK. Beginning in 2000, assisted by his brother Mario (Mari-One) and by the Maltese multi-instrumentalist Aidan Zammit, he founded the group Mystic Diversions. The group’s songs were featured on many high-profile chill-out and lounge compilations. In addition to new, original song material, they also performed covers of various 1970s and 1980s songs such as “Float On” (by the Floaters) and “A Warm Summer Night” (by Chic). Together with the trio, additional musicians for live sets consisted of Agostino Marangolo (drums), Fabio Pignatelli (bass), Marco R