Graziano Romani | en

Graziano Romani started his career forming his first band The Rocking Chairs in 1982, and performing covers of rock'n'soul classics in clubs and theatres all over Italy. The band later signed with the label Ala Bianca/EMI and released their first album NEW EGYPT in 1987. The album was warmly received by the critics and the public, and was followed by FREEDOM RAIN in 1988, featuring a contribution from american artist Elliott Murphy, who sang lead vocals on the title-track and produced the duet on the Jagger/Richards ballad "Wild Horses".
Murphy then produced the band's third album called NO SAD GOODBYES (1990) which, just like the follow-up HATE AND LOVE REVISITED (1991), was recorded between Italy, New York City and Nashville, and featured contributions from gifted US musicians like Robert Gordon, Bobby Bandiera, Willie Nile, Chris Spedding, Kenny Greenberg and Ashley Cleveland.
After splitting the Rocking Chairs, Graziano debuted as a solo artist in 1993 with an album simply titled GRAZIANO ROMANI for the label WEA Italiana.

A long tour of Italy with his band Mescalero followed, then later in 1996 he formed the super-combo “Megajam 5” with other talented italian-rock musicians, offering a repertoire of classic-rock songs from the seventies era. Born only as a "just-for-fun" ensemble, the band got to record an album called "Megajam 5" and lasted way more than it was supposed to, even receiving a special endorsement from Jimi Hendrix's legendary drummer Buddy Miles, who guested on vocals in a video of the song "Gypsy Eyes", on rotation in the italian MTV those days. After this experience Graziano formed the band Souldrivers in 1998, (with virtuoso Megajam guitarist Max Cottafavi) playing a blend of rock-soul covers and some originals.

In 2001 Graziano felt the need to start his own independent label, Freedom Rain Records, and to produce his own music: this move was a kind of a career starting-point, so he decided it was time to pay homage to his long-time favourite artist releasing SOUL CRUSADER:THE SONGS OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, which contained 13 songs picked from Bruce's most rare and obscure songbook and received warm reviews from all over the world. Later that year, Graziano released his second album on Freedom Rain, called STORIE DALLA VIA EMILIA based on italian-sung songs written around 1994-97 that he did not have the chance to release before.

Year 2002 saw the completion of some '90-'91 studio recordings made with his first band The Rocking Chairs, released on the album LOST AND FOUND:SONGS FOR THE ROCKING CHAIRS which included 11 originals and cover versions of "Late For The Sky" (Jackson Browne) and "Love Reign O'Er Me" (The Who). The record was enthusiastically received by both public and critics and consequent touring led to the line-up of his current band of talented musicians.

Graziano also recorded a touching version of the rare ballad "The Promise" exclusively featured on the double-cd tribute album to the music of Bruce Springsteen, titled LIGHT OF DAY (2003), among such great international artists as Elvis Costello, Joe Ely, Nils Lofgren, Dion, Billy Bragg and many others.

A prolific songwriter, in 2004 Graziano Romani managed to release another record, UP IN DREAMLAND (mostly featuring original songs and a couple of rare ballads, written by Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen) which has been judged by his fans and the music-press as one of the most focused and beautiful of his entire career.
While playing live all over Italy supporting the album (playing some gigs in France, Spain and Holland as well) Graziano started recording new material in early 2004, and after six months of extensive studio work he released PAINTING OVER RUST, an album of self-penned songs like short movies about faith, loss, anger, hope, dreams and free spirits...The song "Get Together Soon" features an inspired and soulful vocal duet with longtime friend Elliott Murphy.

2006 saw the release of CONFESSIONS BOULEVARD, an album including only original songs, maybe his most inspired and mature record, featuring guest appearances by american songwriter Dirk Hamilton and the italian rocker Brando.

In 2007 the album called TRE COLORI is released, featuring 13 self-penned songs sung in italian, and duets and contributions by Modena City Ramblers, Elio, The Gang, and many other talented italian artists and musicians. The "TRE COLORI TOUR 2007-'08" premiered in Reggio Emilia on march 2007 and continued until september 2008, with dates in Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

The album BETWEEN TRAINS -released august 2008- features interpretations of rare and obscure songs by greats as Van Morrison , Dylan, Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson and many others. A real labour of love, a personal tribute to all the great songwriters who influenced and inspired him from the very beginning of his career: Graziano put a lot of passion and soul into this work, and the sound is mature and rich, adding his personal touch to the selection of beautiful songs. The BETWEEN TRAINS TOUR started september 23, 2008 and continued on until October 2009, with shows in Italy, Switzerland, and Holland.
Right after the closing of the tour, Graziano started composing and recording songs for a new project, a whole album dedicated to Zagor, the famous italian comic-book hero. Months later, may 2009 saw the publishing of his first book, co-written with Moreno Burattini and titled “Gallieno Ferri: Una Vita con Zagor” (published by Coniglio Editore), a sharp and passionate biographical-critical essay about the great Italian artist and comic-book creator Gallieno Ferri.
Finally, after a year of studio work, in october 2009 the record ZAGOR KING OF DARKWOOD is released: a kind of concept-album about Zagor, the “Spirit With The Axe”, the classic comic-book hero loved by thousands aficionados around the world, and by Graziano too. Eleven new songs written for the album and four ‘traditionals’ from Ireland and northern-America, a work that features brilliant musicians and guests, songwriters Andy White and Matthew Ryan among them. An inspired and passionate record, showing the full maturity Graziano Romani achieved as songwriter and artist: always true and passionate, he loves to sing his songs and tell stories that seem suspended somewhere between “la Via Emilia” and the “old wild-west”, between Dreamland and Darkwood. .