Patty Pravo -

Patty Pravo (born April 9, 1948) is an Italian singer and media personality who emerged from the Rome Piper Club scene with the 1966 single “Ragazzo triste” and scored an international breakthrough with “La bambola.”

Pravo sustained chart prominence through the 1970s with recordings such as “Pazza idea” and “Pensiero stupendo,” while successive albums moved between pop, rock, orchestral, and songwriter-based material. She maintained a recording and television career across six decades, with major Sanremo returns for “Per una bambola,” “E dimmi che non vuoi morire,” “Cieli immensi,” and “Opera.”

Background

Patty Pravo was born Nicoletta Strambelli on April 9, 1948, in Venice, Italy; the daughter of motorboat operator Aldo Strambelli and homemaker Bruna Caporin. She was raised by her paternal grandparents in Dorsoduro.

Strambelli studied piano and dance from an early age and entered Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello at age ten, where Eugenio Bagnoli taught piano. She also studied orchestral conducting with Ettore Gracis. Strambelli left the conservatory upon the 1962 death of the grandfatherand spent several months in London for English study.

In 1965, Strambelli appeared in Venetian clubs as Guy Magenta in a duo with guitarist-singer Italo Janne. She went to Rome in 1966 and became a regular dancer at the Piper Club on Via Tagliamento, where proprietor and agent Alberigo Crocetta approached her with an offer for a singing spot. Strambelli began using the Patty Pravo name at the club and became known as la ragazza del Piper. Crocetta secured a recording arrangement through the RCA Italiana orbit. At the close of 1966, guitarist George Sims, bassist Roger Smith, and drummer Gordon Faggetter of British trio Cyan Three became the backing group for Pravo.

Pravo made her recording debut for ARC with the 1966 single “Ragazzo triste” (b/w “The Pied Piper”), an Italian adaptation of the Sonny & Cher song “But You’re Mine” with lyrics by Gianni Boncompagni. In November 1966, Pravo sang “Ragazzo triste” on RAI program Scala Reale. Across 1967, Pravo followed with “Sto con te” (b/w “Qui e là”) and “Se perdo te” (b/w “Lettera a Gianni”). She performed “Qui e là” at Cantagiro and Partitissima, while “Se perdo te” reached the national singles chart.

By early 1968, keyboardist Alberto Visentin expanded the backing group, now billed as Cyan. Pravo released “La bambola” (b/w “Se c’è l’amore”) in spring 1968, with Franco Migliacci lyrics and music by Bruno Zambrini and Ruggero Cini. The single reached No. 1 in Italy and provided the lead title as Pravo reached the self-titled ARC debut LP.

Discography:

Patty Pravo (1968)
Concerto per Patty (1969)
Patty Pravo (1970)
Bravo Pravo (1971)
Di vero in fondo (1971)
Per aver visto un uomo piangere e soffrire Dio si trasformò in musica e poesia (1971)
Sì… incoerenza (1972)
Pazza idea (1973)
Mai una signora (1974)
Incontro (1975)
Patty Pravo (1976)
Tanto (1976)
Portrait (1977)
Miss Italia (1978)
Munich Album (1979)
Cerchi (1982)
Occulte persuasioni (1984)