Tino Rossi
Tino Rossi, actually Constantin Rossi ( born April 29, 1907 in Ajaccio, † September 26, 1983 in Neuilly -sur -Seine ) was a French actor and singer.
Life
Early years
Tino Rossi was born as the son of a tailor. Early on, he was given a guitar by his parents, he composed some songs and played in various venues in Ajaccio to earn some money. Later he decided to go to Marseilles, where he worked in restaurants, in the meantime he pursued the scene of the theater on the Côte d' Azur and thus made himself known to a wider audience. In the 1930s he went to Paris, where he made final a name that allowed him to Columbia with great artists such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, Jean Sablon, and the eccentric billionaire la Môme Moineau to work.
Success
His romantic ballads arrived especially the female audience, he sang songs with lyrics by Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947) and others. Tino Rossi owed his success to his lyricist Vincent Scotto (1876-1952), who wrote him his first major success. They worked together for many years. To record his first record, he asked his mother to 5 francs, not short of money at that time. One of his first fees amounted to 1933 francs a week 500 Alcazar in Marseille. In 1944, he spent ( among other reasons, because he had sung before prisoners ) a few days in the prison of Fresnes, near Paris, was then but again, with an apology from the government, dismissed.
After a first marriage in the 1930s ( from it comes the daughter Pierrette ) and a relationship with actress Mireille Balin he married Lilia Vetti 1947, a young dancer, whom he had met during filming.
Myth
Tino Rossi recorded more than 1,000 songs and sold 250 million records worldwide. He is the French artist with the best selling records of all time. He participated in various TV shows, but always tried to stay out of his private life out of the spotlight.
Tino Rossi was the idol of the youth of his time, he took in the 50 years of his career, more than 100 plates. His recordings of the Christmas classic Petit Papa Noël are still popular even decades after his death and return year after year to the end of the year back in the French charts. He also directed 25 films, the most important film is Versailles - kings and women ( original: Si Versailles m'était conté ... ) 1953, Written and directed by Sacha Guitry.
In 1982 he was appointed by President François Mitterrand commander of the Legion of Honor, in recognition of his contribution to the dissemination of French culture. In the same year he appeared for the last time at the casino in Paris.
Tino Rossi called by the inhabitants of Ajaccio lovingly " Tintin ", died at age 76 from cancer, he is buried in Ajaccio.