Enzo Gragnaniello

{{short description|Italian singer-songwriter and composer (born 1954)}}

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| image = Enzo_Gragnaniello_live_al_Teatro_Augusteo_di_Napoli.jpg

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| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1954|10|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Naples, Italy

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| occupation = singer-songwriter

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Enzo Gragnaniello (born 20 October 1954) is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer.

Life and career

Born in Quartieri Spagnoli, Naples, Gragnaniello began playing the guitar at the age of 12 and began composing his first songs at 18 years old.{{cite book|last=Eddy Anselmi|title=Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana|year=2009|publisher=Panini Comics, 2009|isbn=978-8863462296}}{{cite book|last=Salvatore Palomba|title=La poesia napoletana dal Novecento a oggi|year=2003|publisher=L'Ancora del Mediterraneo, 2003|isbn=8883251040}} In 1977 he formed the group "Banchi nuovi", named after the Committee of unemployed people to which he belonged.{{cite book|last=Enrico Deregibus|title=Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana|date=8 October 2010|publisher=Giunti Editore, 2010|isbn=978-8809756250}}

Gragnaniello made his solo debut in 1983, with the eponymous album Enzo Gragnaniello. In 1986 he received his first Targa Tenco, an award he won again in 1990, 1999 and 2020.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-14 |title=Enzo Gragnaniello ha pubblicato il nuovo album "Rint' 'o posto sbagliato" |url=https://www.allmusicitalia.it/news/enzo-gragnaniello-nuovo-album-rint-o-posto-sbagliato.html |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=All Music Italia |language=it-IT}} In 1991 his song "Cu'mmè", recorded by Roberto Murolo and Mia Martini, obtained a great commercial success and became instant classics in Italy; in 1997 with the same song Gragnaniello won the music festival "Viva Napoli". In 1999 he entered the competition at the Sanremo Music Festival in a duet with Ornella Vanoni, ranking fourth with the song "Alberi".

As a vocalist his husky voice has been compared to Tom Waits.{{Cite web |last=Wiser |first=Danny |date=2020 |title=ITALY: L'erba Cattiva - Enzo Gragnaniello |url=https://www.200worldalbums.com/post/italy-l-erba-cattiva-enzo-gragnaniello |access-date= |website=200worldalbums.com |language=en}} Gragnaniello composed songs for Andrea Bocelli, Adriano Celentano, Gerardina Trovato among others. He is also active as a composer of musical scores for stage plays and films.