The famous song The Wanderer reached number two on the charts in the U.S. and Runaround Sue reached number one. He was born in 1958 after he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma and became completely blind when he was 12 years old after a soccer accident. She had some great summer hits the past few years as well, such as Non mi basta piu, and so. The single Lightnin Strikes reached number one in the country in 1966. Luciano Pavarotti was an operatic tenor who went on to become one of the most loved and acclaimed tenors of all time. Thus here, we have listed 21 of the greatest and most famous Italian singers. Brian Newman: New Single Ive Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, Sexy Rock Tunes to Snake Dance, Strut, Gyrate and Grind To, Dinner Party Playlist: A Background Music Mix with Presence, Spooky Music to Rock Your Halloween and Day of the Dead Party, Sporting Songs to Get Fans Rallied for the Game, Old-School House Tunes for Your Weekend Party. And above everything, Al Bano & Romina Power still remain as one of the most renowned duets ever. Deans only two songs to ever reach number one came in 1955 with Memories are Made of This , and in 1963 with Everybody Loves Somebody. Some of his fun hit songs include my favorites, Round and Round, Papa Loves Mambo, and Magic Moments. 12. Warning! When it comes to the best Italian singers, Andrea Bocelli must always be on top of the list. Starting with producing mixtapes, this artist went on to become part of a group called Brokenspeakers with other members Lucci and Bruno Cannavicci. The song is full of beautiful emotion and high range vocals that could not have been handled better than by any other singer but Al Martino. Years Active: 1935-1995. In 1944, he recorded the classic Italian American favorites Angelina, and Oh Marie. Why was the last number one hit of the 1950s. Other amazing hits include, Dont Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes, Tie the End of Time, Long ago, If I Loved You, Im Gonna Love that Girl, Dig You Later, Prisoner of Love, Surrender, Chi-Baba Chi-Baba, Some Enchanted Everything, A Youre Adorable, If, No Other Love, Wanted, Hot Diggity, and way too many more to name. Perry Como had 148 top 40 hits during his career, among them: "Prisoner of Love", "Wanted" and "It's Impossible." It was this decade that saw the definition of rock and pop as we know it started to really flourish. Okay, thats it. During his long career with many other rewards, he was also nominated for Grammy. Born in Lajatico, Italy, Andrea Bocelli is regarded as one of the greatest living singing talents. A celebrated performer, Farinelli is widely regarded asone of the greatest singers in operatic history. At other times, these singers made musical love to us as our fancies took flight at their tender words and phrases. Recently Tony has toured and released an album with fellow Italian American pop star Lady Gaga. Lanza is amazing to listen to on Vinyl for the record. Let's get started. Due to her soulful voice, Giorgia has been dubbed the Whitney Houston of Italy. Description: If you have not heard of Francis Albert Sinatra, you have not lived. From performing on the streets to becoming one of Italys highest-paid performers, Mneskin proves that being fearless is the key to success. He had plenty of hits in the past years, the latest 2021 summer hit was, the Mille. That last 3.3% that is listed as unassigned is Time Lord but let's keep that between us:)", https://twitter.com/keemstar/status/1463647184231014401, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Italian-American_entertainers&oldid=1142423504, Lists of American people of Italian descent, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 08:32. In 2011 she released her album Born This Way which has sold millions all around the world. The Jersey boy, Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Vote for Your Favourite Italian Male Singers, (Italian Operatic Tenor Noted for His Unique Blend of Opera & Pop Music), (Italian Operatic Tenor Regarded as the 'King of the High Cs'), (Operatic Tenor of the Early 20th Century & One of the First Musicians to Document His Voice on Recordings), (Italian Musician, Singer, Composer, Actor, and Filmmaker), (Actor who gained international recognition for writing, directing and starring in the Holocaust comedy-drama film Life Is Beautiful (1997)), (Italian Pop Singer, Musician and Songwriter), (Italian Tenor Who was Known for His Powerhouse Voice, Clear Timbre and Electrifying Top Notes), (Italian Opera Singer Who is Regarded as One of the Greatest Tenors of His Generation), (Italian Castrato Singer Who was One of the Greatest Singers in the History of Opera), Farinelli was an Italian castrato singer who was active during 18th century. Known for fusing hip-hop with blends of Italian and Tunisian culture, Ghalis music is definitely eargasmic. He once revealed the only support he got from his family was a guitar his father bought him. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm. There was "Venus" by Frankie Avalon (Frank Avallone), "Wild One" by Bobby Rydell (Roberto Ridarelli), "Turn Me Loose" by Fabian (Fabian Forte), "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin (Robert Cossotto), "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli and "At the Hop" by Joey Dee (Joseph DiNicola). His name was Mario Lanza (Alfredo Arnold Cocozza), and he is one of the few singers who managed to bring an operatic voice to pop music. Brainwash Larte di accontentare, in 2013 and all four other albums he released after this. His aunts and grandfather took care of him who spoke no English. Giusy Ferreri is an Italian singer born in 1979 and she became famous by attending the X Factor. 1,169 listeners. The most popular Italian singers today are obviously more than 15, and we are sorry that we had to skip so many talented voices. Note: You can view albums tagged as 'Various Artists' in your library here. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/ilbaritaliaListen to our Italian Music Playlist on Spotify: http://bit.ly/ItalianMusicPlaylist 50 SONGS ITALYBUY / AC. STYLE. He made his opera debutat the Berkshire Music Festival in 1942. The song, certified seven times Platinum, is one of his top-selling hits. Prima loved his heritage and would reference it in a lot of his music, making him so unique and fun to listen to! Some of these artists almost gave up on their dreams, fought in the war, fought on the streets, fought in the ring, and all risked everything they had to become the people they became to be. For this, Ramazzotti received Best International Male Artist of the Year from Echo Music Awards. Paolo Conte is an Italian singer, composer, pianist, and lawyer. If you dont know this song, Im surprised youre reading this list. She also led the pathway for other female country singers in the Nashville area. Other hits include Judas, Million Reasons, You and I, and The Cure. In 1987, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. How can we forget Lucio Battisti, who with his songs gave a decisive turning point to Italian pop/rock by revolutionizing the traditional and melodic song and again Guccini, Venditti, De Gregori. Thus here, we have listed 21 of the greatest and most famous Italian singers. Keep your party lively, keep it funny. I bet your guests will love pizza making even more with this happy playlist. The pop and rock scene started to flourish in the 1950s, as rock and pop charts were introduced all over the world to rate what records the public were buying. Now, theres no way we could write an accurate list of singers if we dont include these Italian opera singers, the Italian trio singers, the Il Volo. It topped the Italian charts and was four times Platinum. At Sanremo Music Festival in 2021, the Mneskin won with their really popular song, Zitti e Buoni. Dino Paul Crocetti was born in, Steubenville, Ohio. The legend began his career writing for Connie Francis and started dating the pop singer until her strict Italian American father held Darin at gun point to stay away from his daughter. Compatibility Mechanical: 64 Bit (x64) Fedez was born in 1989, and his real name is Federico Leonardo Lucia. She competed again in Eurovision, this time in the 1974 contest. If youre looking beyond popular Italian singers, theres also a noticeable Italian band that became famous just now in 2021. Walden Robert Cassotto was born in East Harlem, NY. In Italy, the 1950s saw the dawn of a radical shift in the types of music available. Some of his must listen to songs includeIt Was a Very Good Year, Send in the Clowns, I Get a kick Out of You, New York, New York, Summer Wind, The Way You Look Tonight, Witchcraft, Something Stupid, Night and Day, Saturday Night, Luck Be A Lady, Dream, Young At Heart, Nice & Easy, This is the Night, Three Coins in the Fountain, Love and Marriage, Hey Jealous Lover, All the Way, Ive Got the World on a String, Ive Got You Under My Skin, Chicago, High Hopes, The Coffee Song, Somewhere in Your Heart, Forget Domani, Thats Life, The World We Knew, and about another couple hundred more. Penultimate on our list, we have singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and filmmaker Adriano Celentano, one of Italys most successful performers. The Mattatuck Museum (144 West Main St. Waterbury, CT 06702)is pleased to celebrate For the final performance of his spring solo tour, Italian classical guitarist Roberto Fab Saturday, february 28 - 7 pm ESTChrist & Saint Stephen's Church -120 W 69th St, Summer saw the passing of two of opera's most iconic figures: Licia Albanese, at the age o Il mondo di Luciano Pavarotti e la sua grande carriera di cantante lirico rivivranno il 23 By Richard Hutton In 2012, Fred De Palma went solo, ultimately cementing his fate as a famous Italian singer after generating numerous hits, including Una volta ancora / Se iluminaba from his fifth album, Uebe. I thought that Tony Bennett was Barese. Later he became the star of classic Italian singers with his incredible talent in music. Elisa had big dreams from a very tender age. Summing Up Our List Of Famous Singers From Italy, 13 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Thrash Metal Bands, 11 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Jam Bands, 10 Of The Most Famous Musicians From New Mexico, 21 Of The Best Songs About Rivers And Streams. My favourite, Morgana King, got a mention. Annalisa won many awards such as World Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards. Ezio Pinza was an Italian opera singer best remembered for his rich and sonorous voice. My love for Italy, brought me to first move to Italy, and then build this online magazine with my amazing team of writers. JIMMY ROSELLI The Neopolitan singer Michael John Roselli was born in Hoboken, NJ. Over the course of his illustrious career, Giuseppe Di Stefano performed at popular opera houses, including the Royal Opera House. Alborosie is an Italian reggae singer who has been credited with popularizing reggae music in Italy and other European countries. Mengonis amazing work has manifested in a number of accolades. There was "Venus" by Frankie Avalon (Frank Avallone), "Wild One" by Bobby Rydell (Roberto Ridarelli), "Turn Me Loose" by Fabian (Fabian Forte), "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin (Robert Cossotto), "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli and "At the Hop" by Joey Dee (Joseph DiNicola). Lanza was going to be MGMs singing Clark Gable until he started having heart problems and eventually passed on October 7th, 1959. First of all, we love guitar, and it is dominating through his music. He is openly gay and is in a long-term relationship with sculptor Ignacio Palau. Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director Roberto Benigni is noted for his comedic-work, which includes writing, directing and starring in the Italian comedy-drama film Life Is Beautiful, which won him anAcademy Awardfor Best International Feature Film and Best Actor, the first for a non-English speaking male performance. Scrobble, find and rediscover music with a Last.fm account, Do you know any background info about this album? Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who was active from the mid 1940s to the early 1990s. Genre: Pop, Easy Listening, Swing, Jazz, Vocal Jazz. Italian composer and record producer Giovanni Moroder, also known as the Father of Disco, produced Take My Breath Away, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning track by Berlin, which was part of the Top Gun soundtrack. She is the only artist to stay at the top of the Italian charts in each of the six decades since her debut. Also, we tried to not concentrate on groups but on individuals, however, there are Italian trio singers who couldnt miss our list, and thats the Il Volo. We can reflect on how much the great Mina excites us with her . His first and only number one with Capitol came in 1955 for his song Learnin The Blues. Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer who is counted among the best tenors of his generation. All rights reserved. From an album with Tony Bennett to a dedicated performance for Frank Sinatra, this woman is one of the best artists in todays music scene. I first found him in 2015 while I wasnt living in Italy, and listen to one of his best songs, Vorrei ma non posso. The band is still going strong, with their third studio album set to be released in 2023. From Faenza, Italy, this talented singer-songwriter and producer gained international fame with her song La solitudine (The Loneliness) in 1993. Your not Italian until you have encountered Pepino and Pasquale . Francesca Michielin is definitely a name and a voice to look for! We don't have a wiki here yet. The man with the golden voice, Anthony Dominick Benedetto born and raised in Astoria, Queens to Calabrese parents. She sang the song again in that years Eurovision Song Contest and received another historic win, becoming the youngest to win the contest at the time. Luciano Pavarotti (1935 - 2007). The titles included "Lazzarella", "Strada 'nfosa" and "Resta cu'mme". He has won a Grammy, along with countless other accolades . His song "Coma Prima", and "The Most Wonderful Night of the Year" topped the charts and opened the doors for future Italian tenors to come. After releasing his debut album, Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts), the sky became the limit for Eros Ramazzotti. Frank quickly signed his Rat Pack pal Dino, to a deal with Reprise. Welcome to Hello Music Theory! In 1949, he had his first two number one hits with Mule Train and That Lucky Old Sun. Discover Best Italian Hits: 50 Hits from the 50s & 60s by Various Artists. Freestyling in Turin and Milan gained him recognition in the industry, which eventually landed him a record deal in 2010 as a member of the group Royal Rhymes. 78.84, Luciano Pavarotti is the most famous Italian Singer. Below youre going to find some of our favorite Italian female singers, as well as men, trios, and so. In 1964 she received a Grammy award nomination for best new artist. As for my articles, I specialize in Italy travel - Mostly Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, and Lombardy - but also luxury brands, hotels, Italian food, and celebrities. Yeah millennials, we all know its the guy from Grease who sings Beauty School Dropout, but the Philly bornFrancis Thomas Avallone, was much more than a singing angel in the clouds. Nice job of posting this list. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm. Noted as one of several Italian Americans at, The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia I have officially had enough of Madonna for the day. With a culture like no other, its no wonder why Italian Americans have made such an impact in the music scene through the years. Connie was the top female vocalist of the 50s and 60s. He grew up admiring family friend and singer Mario Lanza. He serves as an inspiration to many as he went on to become one of the most popular Italian singers of all time, despite losing his vision at age 12. Louis Leo Prima was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and formed a small jazz group in the 1920s. With a culture like no other, its no wonder why Italian Americans have made such an impact in the music scene through the years. ), See more ideas for creating an exciting pizza buffet in 03 Easy Pizza, 2023 HOBNOB Magazine Terms and Conditions. Italian singers set the bar by fusing the richness of Italian culture, passion, and unique artistry into their songs and performances. Anka wrote the English words. However, from sleeping on carpets, the boy grew to be one of Italys greatest rappers. Right now on an international level, hes definitely one of the most popular Italian singers, since thanks to his most successful movie, his songs became known worldwide being also the soundtracks of the movie. Other Dino hits include Sway, Houston, Aint That a Kick in the Head,Standing on a Corner, Return to Me, Innamorata, Youre Nobody Til Somebody Loves You,If, You Belong to Me, Mambo Italiano, On an Evening In Roma, and how can I almost forget Volare among many others. Avalon had more than thirty top 100 hitsfrom 1958 to late 1962, including Dont Throw Away All Those Teardrops, Ginger Bread , A Boy Without a Girl, Ill Wait for You, Just Ask Your Heart, and many others. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Every party needs a good playlist. If you are looking for Italian pop singers, Annalisa is definitely one to look for. These are all jump-and-shimmy worthy Italian songs from the 50s to 70s. I, after which they became the Italian representative in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. The term Various Artists is used in the record industry when numerous singers and musicians collaborate on a song or collection of songs. Other favorites include I Wanna be Around, Its Magic, I left My Heart in San Fransisco, Smile, Blue Velvet, I Wont Cry Anymore, Therell Be No Tear Drops Tonight, Just in Time, The Good Life, For Once in My Life, and others. Also, you can check out some of our other lists for the best Italian songs, and the best Italian DJs as well! Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. In 2022, Mneskin has received a profit between $3.3M and $4.2M and ranked under number 1. From Nocera Inferiore, Italy, we have rapper Coez. Oh how time will go by so slowly while I write this just like her hit song Hung Up. However her first several singles with MGM did not go well. Inspired by famous singers like Bjrk and Aretha Franklin, she started writing songs at 11 years and was soon appearing on TV. Fame, however, came after his third album, Sig. And Italians were there with African Americans, mixing the bowl for what came to be known as Jazz. Later Giusy topped the Italian Singles chart 5 times with some of the top hits, such as Non ti Scordar mai di me, or the piece with Baby K that was a big hit in all of Europe: Roma-Bangkok. Many of us can still remember punching those favorite keys on the jukebox to hear this song over and over again. At the launch of his fame, he received Best Italian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards and Man of the Year at the TRL Awards, but these were just the start to a string of honors he would receive in his career. Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Italian Hits of the 60s! A successful actor, he has appeared in around forty films. What It Seemed to Be and, Five Minutes More. His biggest hits include Young at Heart, Umbriago, September Song, One of Those Songs, and Make Someone Happy. Other hits of Bon Jovis include, Wanted Dead or Alive, Wild in the Streets, This Aint a Love Song, and Its My Life. Brooklyn boy and proud Italian-American, Julius La Rosa served our country in the Navy when he enlisted at age 17 and sang in his Navy choir. Also a professional guitarist and singer, he has a channel on YouTube that has accumulated over one million subscribers. The music scene of the 1950s brought a renaissance of Italian-American singers. His scores for Flashdance and Midnight Express, too, won Academy Awards. He soon was requested by the producers of the broadway show Kismet to record Stranger in Paradise, (My favorite Tony Bennett song) , which reached number two in the country. I bet you cant help but smile while listening to these tunes. I really dont feel like typing about Madonna Ciccone but I have to put her on the list, right? Now Fedez is married to the famous influencer and businesswoman, Chiara Ferragni. As weve mentioned at the beginning, there are some Italian pop singers who have retired from singing and concerts. Im Dan and I run this website. She recorded 6 albums, and 25 singles, and she has 8 Platinum discs and 10 Golden discs. A fairly new name on the worlds most popular actors and singers list. In 1999, Paolo Conte was honored with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Connie soon became the pride of the MGM label. Thus, we hope that from this list, you gained a favorite Italian singer or two (or more!) Now they are between 27-29 and in the past decade, they won over the heart of crowds with their incredible voices and songs with a spice of opera style. Most often on Last.fm, compilation album tracks appear under the name of Various Artists erroneously because the individual artist is not listed in the album's ID3 information. You can find below some of the biggest classic Italian singers and icons such as Andrea Bocelli, but also some of the greatest female singers today like Francesca Michielin. Don't want to see ads? He holds a musical rsum that highlights performances with Luciano Pavarotti, Sarah Brightman, and Celine Dion, as well as a performance for the pope. Eros Ramazzotti was born in 1963 and hes one of the most unique Italian songwriters, singer, and musician with a really special voice that makes you want to just keep listening to his songs over and over again. Discovered on YouTube, he launched his first album, XDVR, in 2015, which catapulted him into superstardom. Mary in the Morning, Speak Softly Love, To the Door of the Sun, Once Upon A Time, Tears and Roses, and Painted Tainted Rose. Fabrizio de Andre' is surely the author of some of the best Italian songs of all time. I am living in the UK and maybe we live in different worlds but I cannot believe that the author of the article missed Romina Power! Young and creative, Ebbastas music gained quite a loyal fan baseall albums he released following his debut landed the #1 spot on the Italian charts, with Rockstar, the third album, reaching six times Platinum. Major local newspapers like La Repubblica have praised him, calling the rapper a blessing.. Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero was born in Newark, New Jersey and graduated from Belleville High School. SIGN UP FOR THE MONTHLY MIX: FOOD. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He grew up with a tough life; his mother died two days after he was born and his dad abandoned him. . Later Dean signed on with Capital Records and in 1953 he released one of his biggest hits of all time Thats Amore. One of the most enchanting Italian singers male ones is definitely Filippo Neviani, his artist name being Nek. Frank Sinatra once said, Damone had the best pipes in the business, and he was certainly right. Raised in Rome, Eros Ramazzotti had a passion for music since childhood. They would soon release the hits No One Knows, A Teenager in Love, and Where or When. The term Various Artists is us, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Alborosie is currently residing in Kingston, Jamaica. In 2022, Sfera Ebbasta has received a profit between $1.9M and $2.5M and ranked under number 2. Some from classic American singers, and lots from Italy: (To hear the playlist from this page, you must have a Spotify account, be logged-in, and listen through the webplayer or desktop app. Marone! As an actor, he achieved popularity after playing Matteo Balsano in the Latin American telenovela Soy Luna, for which he received a couple of Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He achieved international prominence in the 1920s after the demise of Enrico Caruso; Gigli became a much sought-after singer after Caruso's death and people even referred to him as Caruso Secondo. This is a list of Italian American entertainers. Born in Rome, Italy, Giorgia paid her dues spending endless years performing jazz and soul in local bars. Other hits by Al include To Each His Own, I Have But One Heart, Take My Heart, Come Share The Wine, When Youre Mine, I Love You Because, I Love You More and More Every Day. When my older brother, Tony, selected a tune it was usually sung by one of the romantic Italian-American crooners of the day: Dean Martin, Tony Bennett (Antonio Benedetto), Vic Damone (Vito Farinola), Jerry Vale (Genaro Louis Vitaliano), Don Cornell (Luigi Varlaro) and Frankie Laine (Frank Paul LoVecchio). He studied acting, dancing, and singing and began his career as an actor. (I tried to write this as nicely as possible). Non ho let became a commercial success internationally, with over 3 million sales. This young music artist started taking singing lessons at the age of 14. Later that decade, Celentano had his first on-screen appearance as a rock-and-roll singer in the film La Dolce Vita. Frank Sinatra left Capitol as well and started his own label Reprise. Heres another big name, Zucchero Fornaciari, or as most people know, only Zucchero. Alessandra Amoros has received many awards from Wind Music Awards to MTV, and World Music Awards among many others. His commercially released recordings made him an international star in the early-1900s. He is best remembered for his silky singing voice and calypso-inspired hits, such as 1957's "The Banana Boat Song." Nicknamed the prince of tenors, Franco Corelli had a long and successful association with the Metropolitan Opera where he performed between 1961 and 1975. When it comes to the best Italian singers today, even though he didnt have a concert in the past few years, Eros Ramazzotti is an icon, another voice that everyone around the world heard. After his retirement, Carlo Bergonzi worked as a mentor for many other popular tenors like Berle Sanford Rosenberg, Giuliano Ciannella, Vincenzo La Scola, and Fernando del Valle among others. #LouMonte #Lyndhurstnative #italianAmerican #italian #pepinotheitalianmouse #pasqualethecat #funnyitalians #italiancomedy, A post shared by Nicky Petito (@nickypetito) on Jun 29, 2016 at 5:25pm PDT. With an HPI of . It did not chart, but with it, he started to gain some following. 21st-century Italian male singers (1 C, 146 P) B. Italian baritones (1 C, 6 P) Italian basses (21 P) O. Italian male opera singers (5 C) S. Italian male singer-songwriters (1 C, 136 P) T. Italian tenors (2 C, 21 P) Pages in category "Italian male singers" The Italian-American singer has always symbolized romance, tradition and love. Frankie started out with RCA Victor in 1954 and in 1959, his songs Venus and Why became number one hits. Mneskin sold already over 4 million records. These singers spoke to a generation and for a generation. Hailed as one of the pillars of Italian music, Adriano Celentano is a celebrated singer-songwriter, whose numerous songs and albums have gained both commercial as well as critical success. Though he failed to get admitted into the Music Conservatory, he did not let his dreams get deferred. Widely regarded as an icon of Italian cinema, Sordi achieved greatness in a career that spanned 70 years! The Neopolitan singer Michael John Roselli was born in Hoboken, NJ. Salvatore Adamo is a Belgian-Italian musician, composer, and singer best known for his romantic ballads. She released her latest single, Guapo, back in 2020. His ability to sing in Italian, Spanish, French, and German sets him a league apart from his contemporaries. Joni James 15,935 listeners Joni James was born Giovanna Joan Carmella Babbo on Sept. 22, 1930 in Chicago, IL. His name is known all around the world. Also 1.7% Jewish and 2.3% Irish. Thanks to her particularly amazing voice, her 5 albums, and some of her greatest hits, she sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.