Caterina Valente

Biography

Caterina Germaine Maria Valente was born on 14 January 1931 in Paris, France, to Italian parents, and passed away on 9 September 2024 at age 93. Growing up in a musical family, she began performing as a teenager, playing guitar in an orchestra and developing skills as a singer, dancer, and guitarist. Fluent in six languages and capable of singing in thirteen, she started her professional career in the early 1950s, auditioning successfully with bandleader Kurt Edelhagen in 1953, who called her the most musical woman he had ever heard. Her breakthrough came in 1955 with the massive hit 'Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe' (a German version of 'I Love Paris'), selling over 500,000 copies initially, followed by 'Malaguena' which gained traction in the US.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as Europe's most successful female recording artist with over 1,350 albums to her credit.
• Made her Las Vegas debut in 1964 at the Desert Inn, returning for six more successful one-month engagements.
• Starred in 12 European movie-musicals and debuted in film in 1954 with a role in the thriller 'They Were So Young'.
• Co-hosted the CBS variety show 'The Entertainers' (1964-1965) with Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart, earning the FAME Award as best female vocalist on American TV.

Associated Acts

• Club Honolulu
• Club Indonesia
• Club Manhattan
• Club Italia
• Club Argentina
• Catrins Madison Club

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Kurt Edelhagen - Bandleader who discovered her talent during a 1953 audition (First recording 'Istanbul' (1954)) [1953-1954]
• Heinz Gietz - Composer who organized her debut recordings (Early singles including 'O Mama, O Mama, O Mamajo') [1954]
• Kurt Feltz - Producer and texter who shifted her style to Schlager ('O Mama, O Mama, O Mamajo' (hit single)) [1954]

Key Collaborators

• Silvio Valente - Her brother, musician, singer, and clarinetist who performed duets and danced with her (Numerous duets) [1950s onward]
• Claus Ogerman - Arranger, conductor, and composer for her recordings (Material on Decca and London labels) [mid-1960s]
• Werner Müller - Conductor for key recordings ('Malaguena') [1950s]
• Sy Oliver - Arranger for jazz album ('Plenty Valente') [late 1950s]
• Bing Crosby - Performed alongside in the US (TV appearances) [1950s-1960s]
• Dean Martin - Frequent TV guest invitations (Dean Martin TV show (dozen appearances)) [1960s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #pop, #schlager, #vocal-jazz