Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer, known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and Latin-American rhythms.
Career
Conte was born in Asti, Piedmont. His parents were avid jazz fans, and Conte and his brother Giorgio spent their formative years listening to a lot of early jazz and blues recordings. After obtaining a law degree at the University of Parma, Conte started working as an assistant solicitor with his father, simultaneously pursuing his musical studies. He learned to play the trombone, the vibraphone and the piano, and after being part of several local bands formed a jazz ensamble with his brother on drums, the Paul Conte Quartet, with whom he made his record debut with the EP The Italian Way To Swing. In 1964, Paolo and Giorgio Conte were put under contract by Clan Celentano, and Paolo Conte made his official debut as composer with Vanna Brosio's "Ed ora te ne vai". In 1987, he released the double album Aguaplano, which again won the Targa Tenco for best album. In 2004, he won the Targa Tenco for best song for Elegia, the title track of his new studio album. In 2008, for the first time in his career, Conte topped the Italian hit parade with the album Psiche, which was also awarded a Gold Disc. In addition, Conte's song "L'orchestrina" is featured in the television series The New Pope (2020). by President Giorgio Napolitano for his "outstanding cultural achievements".
On 15 May 2001, France ordered Paolo Conte Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2015, Conte was awarded the Premio Galileo for contemporary music in Padua.
Conte has also received several honorary doctorates, including one from the University of Macerata (1990).
Discography
thumb|Handprints at Rotterdam's Walk of Fame
Studio albums
- Paolo Conte (1974)
- Paolo Conte (1975)
- Un gelato al limon (1979)
- Paris milonga (1981)
- Appunti di viaggio (1982)
- Paolo Conte (1984)
- Aguaplano (1987, double album - the Japanese and German releases were issued as two separate albums, the second titled Jimmy Ballando in 1989)
- Parole d'amore scritte a macchina (1990)
- 900 (1992)
- Una faccia in prestito (1995)
- Razmataz (2000)
- Elegia (2004)
- Psiche (2008)
- Nelson (2010)
- Snob (2014)
- Amazing Game (2016)
Live albums
- Concerti (1985)
- Paolo Conte Live (1988)
- Paolo Conte - Haris Alexiou (1990)
- Tournée (1993)
- Tournée 2 (1998)
- Paolo Conte Live Arena di Verona (2005)
- Live in Caracalla – 50 Years of Azzurro (2018)
- Paolo Conte Live at Veneria Reale (2021)
- Paolo Conte Alla Scala - Il Maestro È Nell'Anima (2023)
Greatest hits albums
- Come Di (1986, French release)
- Collezione (1988)
- Boogie (1990)
- Wanda, stai seria con la faccia ma però (1992)
- The Best of Paolo Conte (1996)
- Reveries (2003)
- Wonderful (2006)
- Gong-oh (2011)
- The Platinum Collection (2014)