Nomadi

The original 1963 formation of six was founded in Reggio Emilia: Augusto Daolio (vocals), Beppe Carletti (keyboards), Franco Midili (guitar), Leonardo Manfredini (drums), Gualtiero Gelmini (sax), Antonio Campari (bass).

As often happens, the lineup changed frequently: in 1964 Madfredini left after the death of his parents; so did Campari and Gelmini, who were replaced by Gabriele ‘Bila’ Copellini on drums and Gianni Coron on bass.

Their first hit was 1966's "Come potete giudicar" (How Can You Judge, which was actually the cover of Sonny Bono's "The Revolution Kind"), anthem of the Italian beat generation, which exemplifies the clash between hippies and conservatives.

Hits included "Io Vagabondo" ("I, Vagabond"), "Un pugno di sabbia" ("A Fistful of Sand"), "Un giorno insieme" ("One Day Together"), "Tutto a posto" ("Everything Settled"), "Voglio ridere" ("I Want to Laugh").

I Nomadi's political commitment is particularly evident in some songs such as "Primavera di Praga" ("Prague Spring"), written by Guccini and dedicated to Czech student Jan Palach.

In 1992 bass player Dante Pergreffi was killed in a car crash on 14 May and then, on 7 October, Augusto Daolio, the band's frontman and icon, died of an aggressive form of lung cancer.