DICK DANELLO, an Italian-Brazilian singer

Italian music was so popular in Brazil circa 1963-1965 & 1965 that some native Italian speakers who lived in the country were signed by local record labels and recorded songs in Italian. Dick Danello is one of the most popular of those Italian nationals or Italian-descendants who hit the parade.

Dick Danello covered Little Tony's 'Quando vedrai la mia ragazza' for Fermata do Brasil in late 1964 and had a fair bit of air play. The original Durium record was never released in the country. He appeared on various TV shows and eventually was invited to sing at 'Jovem Guarda' on TV Record the most popular Brazilian TV rock show from August 1965 through October 1968.  

Dick Danello writes his own biography for Melodias. But as Brazilian journalism famously uses more adjectives than nouns we're left with little insight about Danello's life. 

Filippo D'Anello was born on 1 January 1943, in Belvedere Marittimo, in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria, Italy. That makes him a Capricorn.

Filippo came to Brazil for a visit in 1955, when he was 12 years old and decided to stay. He doesn't say what made him visit Brazil in the first place and how a 12 year-old could 'decide' something that big.  

He claims that after recording 'Quando vedrai la mia ragazza' for Fermata in 1965, Enrique Lebendiger, its director, tried to get him to sing at famous Festival di San Remo, but he could not do it. Thing is: Danello was not well-known enough to appear at San Remo's.

Now, he had his 2nd Fermata single out: 'Ogni mattina' b/w 'Non aspetto nessuno' and was keeping his fingers crossed to get it up the charts. 

Dick Danello shows off his Karmann Ghia... 

a portrait for the fans; a giovanissimo Danello.

Dick rockin'n' rolling...; promotional photo at Revista do Radio n. 664, 6 June 1962. 

If one really looks at Dick Danello's single discography one will notice he recorded at least one San Remo hit per year. Not necessarily the winner song but one he was really keen on.

Dick Danello's singles discography 

FB-33-069  -  Bussicabombaio / Quando vedrai la mia ragazza - Fermata 1964 
FB-33-118  -  Non aspetto nessuno / Ogni mattina - Dick Danello - Fermata 1965
FB-33-154  -  Nessuno mi può giudicare / Parlami di te - Dick Danello - Fermata 1966

7B-931 – Bisogna saper perdere / Il mondo non è per me - Odeon 1967

Poesia (Don Backy) / Da bambino (Massimo Ranieri's entry at San Remo '68) - Odeon 1968

50.147 – Zingara / Lontano dagli occhi (both songs are San Remo tunes) –  Continental 1969
50.143 - Leylan (Danello-Tommy Standen) / 

50.204 – Chi non lavora non fa l’amore (Celentano's San Remo winner) / La prima cosa bella – 1970
50.000 – Il cuore è un zingaro / Poetica no.1 (San Remo '71) - Continental 1971

Dick Danello's EP for Som-Copacabana with four covers of Italian hits.

'Bussicabombaio' b/w 'Quando vedrai la mia ragazza' originally recorded by Little Tony and Gene Pitney - from San Remo 1964.

cover of Little Tony's 'Non aspetto nessuno' b/w 'Ogni mattina' 1965.

'Nessuno mi può giudicare' b/w 'Parlami di te' from San Remo 1966.

'Zingara' b/w ''Lontano dagli occhi' both songs from San Remo 1969.

1969's 'Leylan' is Danello's first record sung in Portuguese.

melody of 'Leylan' written by Tommy Standen with words by Dick Danello; 'Ja não existe mais' was wholly penned by Danello. 

'Intervalo' March 1965.

Danello signs autographs flanked by Dave Gordon (right) and Francisco Egydio (left) circa 1967.

Dick Danello had a nightly show on Radio Marconi at 10:30 PM in which he played only Italian hits. On Saturdays his 'Dick Danello Show' was broadcast at 7:00 PM. Magazine 'Melodias' (1969) says Danello had just recorded a cover of Erasmo Carlos' 'Sentado à beira do caminho'. 

by 1969 Dick Danello had taken over the Italian page at Revista Melodias...