Mario Merola

Mario Merola (6 April 1934 – 12 November 2006) was an Italian singer and actor, most prominently known for having rejuvenated the traditional popular Neapolitan melodrama known as the sceneggiata.

He was nicknamed the King of the sceneggiata to be able to give this kind typically a regional and a national popularity and success unknown before, to make a film genre, representing all of this even off the stage, so being able to put a face to sceneggiata. Born into a poor family of Naples, Merola held a number of day jobs ranging from kitchen help to longshoreman at the port of Naples until one of his songs, Malu Figliu, was used successfully in a sceneggiata, promoting him into the limelight. Merola was at the height of his popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.

With the proceeds of the first vocal performances manages to marry Rosa Serrapiglia, on 5 April 1964, with whom he had three children: Roberto (organizer of musical events), Loredana (housewife) and Francesco, singer, too, who in recent years has accompanied the father on numerous occasions, among them the performance at the Festival of Naples in 2001, where they won the first prize with the song L'Urdemo emigrante (The last immigrant).The first public performance of Merola happens by chance, at the beginning of the sixties, from just had sounded the siren of the lunch break at the port of Naples and Merola, along with colleagues unloaders, walked in the square near the church of Sant 'Anna to the Marshes to attend the party on the occasion of the celebration of the Virgin Mary. The singer who had produce, Mario Trevi, came to the event with a ten-minute delay. In this expectation colleagues Merola led Miscavige to get on stage and perform, for the first time, from before a public.In 1964, he made his debut at the Festival of Naples with the song Doce e' 'o silenzio (Sweet is the silence), coupled with Elsa Quarta. The next year will be the time to T'aspetto a maggio (wait for you in May) with Achille Togliani and Tu stasera si pusilleco (You will tonight Pusilleco) with Enzo Del Forno. In 1966 he continued his participation in the Festival of Naples with the songs and Femmene e tamorre and Ciento catene (one hundred chains), in 1967 Allegretto ma non-troppo (happy but not too), in 1968 Cchiu' forte (stronger) and Comm'a 'nu Sciummo (like a river) in 1969 with 'O masto (the master), ciente appuntamente (hundred appointments) (which he wrote the music) and Abbracciame (hug) and in 1970 with 'Nnammurato 'e te! (in love with you) and Chitarra rossa (Guitar red). After the interruption of the Festival in 1971, it will be taken thirty years later, in 2001. In this latest edition Merola and his son Francesco, will perform with the song L'urdemo emigrante (the last emigrant), coming to a total of eight investments.In the 1970s, he went to the White House as the representative of the classic Neapolitan song and there he sang for an hour.He recorded approximately 40 CDs of sceneggiata music and has extensive credits in filmed versions of this Neapolitan form, newer ones as well as "classical" works from earlier in the 20th century. He toured abroad with a Neapolitan company to bring the sceneggiata to emigrant Italian communities elsewhere.

Becomes a "scout" (contributing among other things to the initial popularity of the young Massimo Ranieri, Nino D'Angelo, and Gigi D'Alessio).Although better known as a singer, Merola starred in several Italian crime thrillers, usually playing a good-hearted gangster (a guappo). He starred as crime boss Michele Barresi in Umberto Lenzi's 1979 thriller From Corleone to Brooklyn. One of Merola's most renowned movies was Zappatore, where he plays a father who worked tirelessly to make his son into a lawyer, only to have his son turn his back on him.

On the occasion of the Festival of Sanremo 1994, along with Nilla Pizzi, Wess, Wilma Goich, Manuela Villa, Tony Santagata, Jimmy Fontana, Gianni Nazzaro, Lando Fiorini, Rosanna Fratello and Giuseppe Cionfoli, is part of Team Italy, cosituitosi 's event, and sings the song Una vecchia canzone italiana (An old Italian song), will affect a disc of the same name that contains 12 tracks including one sang together and the other individually by each member of the group, Merola an occasion to affect an unreleased track Acqua salata Blu (salt water blue).Engages as a composer, in fact, is the author of the music of some songs, including: Ciento appuntamente (1969), Passione Eterna (Eternal Passion) (1972) and Eternamente tua (Eternally Yours) (1973), three of its major topics. whose lyrics were written by Enzo di Domenico.

In 1997, Merola went into coma when he was hospitalized for three weeks at the hospital Vecchio Pellegrini of Naples. That was the most disturbing episode as a crisis cardio-respiratory did fear the worst. On that occasion, for the first time, the sleep was induced by drugs. Merola, on that occasion, he recovered.On 26 November 2005 Mario Merola was appointed Knight of Malta, together with Bruno Venturini and Mario Trevi.

In 2005, he published his autobiography Napoli solo andata... Il mio lungo viaggio (Napoli one way ... My Long Journey) written with journalist Geo Nocchetti, Merola in the book talks about his life, his achievements, illness and many other things concerning him. The book, Merola, accompanying it also features many photos.

He died aged 72 on 12 November 2006, after having been in intensive care in San Leonardo hospital in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), with breathing difficulties. The funeral will take place on November 14, in Naples, in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore (the same one where Merola was married and also the same when it was celebrated in 1967, the funeral of Totò). Present the political authorities, colleagues and, in the square outside the church, some 40,000 people. At least half of the people followed the coffin in procession to the Monumental Cemetery of Naples, where the artist is buried.