Little Tony.

Born Antonio Ciacci in Tivoli in 1941, Little Tony was a citizen of San Marino because his parents were born there, yet he lived in Italy most of his life. His father, a singer and accordionist, inspired his musical path. In 1957, inspired by American rock and roll, he formed a group with his brothers Alberto on bass and Enrico on guitar, calling themselves Little Tony and His Brothers after Little Richard’s stage name.

In 1959, Italian singer Marino Marini recommended Little Tony and His Brothers to producer Jack Good. Good signed the group and brought them to England. They appeared on Good’s TV show Boy Meets Girls in September 1959 and released singles on Decca. Their third British single, Too Good by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, reached number 19 on the UK charts in January 1960. The group returned to Italy in 1961 to perform at the Sanremo Festival, where they achieved second place with 24 Mila Baci. Little Tony then went solo, singing in Italian, and scored his first number one in Italy with Il ragazzo col ciuffo in 1962. He also began acting in films, starring in Musicarellos like 5 marines per 100 ragazze 1962 with Virna Lisi, and later in Un gangster venuto da Brooklyn 1966 with Akim Tamiroff. His biggest hit, Cuore Matto, topped the Italian charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1967. In 1969 he founded his own label, Little Records. Later in his career, he made a comeback in cinema with a supporting role in Ken Loach’s Raining Stones 1993.

Little Tony married Giuliana Brugnoli and later Luciana Manfra. He had one daughter, Cristiana, born in 1972, and three grandchildren: Martina, Mirko, and Melissa. His younger brother Enrico Ciacci played in his band. In 2006, he suffered a heart attack during a concert in Ottawa but recovered. After a long battle with cancer, he passed away on May 27, 2013 in Rome at age 72.

Little Tony pioneered Italian rock and roll, bringing American-style rock to Italy in the late 1950s. His 1967 hit Cuore Matto spent nine weeks at number one and remains a classic. He influenced later Italian rock musicians and his music continued to sell in Europe and South America. His appearance in Ken Loach’s Raining Stones introduced him to international audiences. He also founded his own record label, Little Records, empowering other artists.