Rocky Roberts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Roberts |
| Born | August 23, 1940 Tanner, Alabama, United States [1] |
| Died | January 14, 2005 (aged 64)
[2] Rome, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1960–2004 |
| Labels | |
Rocky Roberts (born Charles Roberts; August 23, 1940 – January 13, 2005) was an American-born Italian rhythm and blues singer.
Born in Alabama, Roberts served in the United States Navy and was a Navy champion boxer. He first got interested in singing after listening to a country-oriented musician named Doug Fowlkes, whose band the Airdales (US-navy slang for Navy pilots) used to perform on the ship where Roberts was stationed. Fowlkes, impressed by Roberts' voice, eventually agreed to let him sit in with the band. [1]
Roberts won a singing competition while on shore leave in Juan-les-Pins, France, and chose to stay in Europe after retiring from the Navy in 1962. [2] [1]
Roberts had a stint in France performing at ORTF television show Les raisins verts, and achieved some success with an early version of "T-Bird" and "Monkiss".
In 1965 Renzo Arbore and Gianni Boncompagni invited Roberts to Rome to record the theme of their Radio Show, Bandiera Gialla. The song, "T-Bird", was a hit in the Italian charts and Roberts settled in Rome.
In 1967, Roberts had a major Italian hit, "Stasera Mi Butto", which sold 3.7 million copies [1] and won the Festivalbar. [3] The song's success led to a 1967 motion picture of the same title, starring Roberts. He appeared subsequently in several other Italian films.
He was known for always wearing dark sunglasses. [2] [1]
Roberts sang the Luis Bacalov-written theme song from the 1966 film, Django. [4] Quentin Tarantino reused the recording as the opening theme for his 2012 film Django Unchained. [5]
He died of lung cancer in Rome in 2005 at the age of 64. [2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Non mi dire mai good-bye | ||
| 1967 | Stasera mi butto | Himself | |
| 1967 | Una ragazza tutta d'oro | Himself | |
| 1968 | I ragazzi di Bandiera Gialla | Himself | |
| 1969 | Il ragazzo che sorride | Rocky | (final film role) |
References
- ^ a b c d e "Italian fans rave for 'Bama Singer", UPI in The Beaver County Times, May 6, 1970.
- ^ a b c d "Rocky Roberts, 66; Ex-Boxer Made a Hit Record, Movie in Italy", Los Angeles Times, January 16, 2005.
- ^ "From the Music Capitals of the World: Milan", Billboard, September 30, 1967.
- ^ Núñez Marqués, Anselmo (2006). "Django y Ringo, sucedáneos con identidad". Western a la europea...: un plato que se sirve frío (in Spanish). Entrelineas Editores. p. 124. ISBN 9788498024326.
- ^ Randy Lewis, "Quentin Tarantino discusses the music of 'Django Unchained'", Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2012.
External links
- Rocky Roberts at IMDb.
Festivalbar winners | |||||||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1941 births
- 2005 deaths
- People from Limestone County, Alabama
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- American expatriates in Italy
- American expatriate musicians
- American emigrants to Italy
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century Italian male singers
- Deaths from lung cancer in Lazio
- 21st-century African-American people
- Decca Records artists
- London Records artists
- Parrot Records artists