Italian Celebration #MusicMovesMe

It's mid-October.  It's time for Music Moves Me!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please!)   Our head hostess is Cathy from Curious as a Cathy,  and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.

Why not join our music loving folks?  It's so easy. All you have to do is join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!

Each month, except December, we have a guest host. For October we  have three guest hosts, each contributing one theme.  Today, our second guest host joins us:  John from The Sound of One Hand Typing.  His theme for us this week is: " In honor of Christopher Columbus, build a playlist of Italian artists/bands."

I'm going to take this a step further and include "born outside Italy but with Italian ancestry", so I can include a number of artists who, surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, perhaps) are what we called, in my youth, Italian-Americans.  You'll note how many of them ended up changing their birth names, too.

The first, an artist of my youth, is Lou Christie, who was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Pennsylvania.  One of his big hits was his 1966's "Lightnin' Strikes".

Al Martino, born Alfred Cini in Philadelphia, and his hit "Spanish Eyes" from 1966. 

Going back to the 1950's, how about Frankie Avalon and his 1959 "Venus"? Uh-oh, my heart flew out of my chest...

Next up is Dion Francis DiMucci, who we better know as Dion. Dion is from the Bronx, a borough of New York City.  I'm also someone who grew up in the Bronx.

Dion's early performng was singing doo-wop on the streets of the Bronx (and one of my spouse's cousins claims to have known one of his girlfriends - it may well be true). For today,  I am choosing, by Dion and the Belmonts, "A Teenager in Love", also from 1959.

How can I forget Bobby Darin, who went to my high school (not at the same time as I did)?  Darin, born Walden Robert Cassotto, suffered from rheumatic heart valve disease, and died in 1973 at the age of 37 while undergoing surgery for his condition.  So here's still another song from 1959 - Beyond the Sea. 

And now for my personal top three.

Frankie Valli, born Francisco Castelluccio. For all the work he did with the Four Seasons, my personal favorite is, instead, "Grease".

Tony Bennett, born Anthony Bennedetto, and his 1962 hit "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  The closest I've come to San Francisco is its airport, but maybe one day I'll see the city and leave my heart there.

Last but not least, the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra.  I love this video of Frank singing "It Was A Very Good Year".  This 1965 hit never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

And with that, it's a wrap!  Dare I say that this was a very good post?  If you have an appetite for more please visit the linky above and check out some of the other offerings!

Join me again next Monday, same time, same place, for another episode of Music Moves Me.