Ezio Leoni

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Ezio Leoni (17 July 1927, in

Leoni also led other notable international artists to fame in the Italian market, many of whom, at the peak of their careers, performed original songs written and/or produced by Maestro Ezio Leoni and often also recorded versions of their original hit songs translated in the Italian language (a common practice at the time) under Leoni’s supervision. Examples of such artists include Ben E. King, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, Pat Boone, Françoise Hardy, Charles Aznavour as well as Elvis Presley’s backup singers The Sweet Inspirations.^[6][12][13]

Ezio Leoni's artists and songs are also featured in a number of motion picture soundtracks, including classics such as

Also recognized as a successful talent scout, Leoni was the first to offer the first recording contract to artists that eventually became some of Italy's most popular performers of all time, including Adriano Celentano, Tony Dallara and Fausto Leali, among many others. In the late 1960s, Campi Editore, one of Italy's major publishers appointed Leoni as General Manager of the recently founded DET Recording, a record label dedicated to promoting young talents, which would eventually bring to success notable new artists such as Peppino Gagliardi, as well as enable actors such as Catherine Spaak and Christian De Sica to venture out in the music industry with original songs. Leoni managed his DET commitments in Rome while also keeping his post as A&R Executive for Ri-Fi in Milan, a role he would keep until his retirement in the 1980s. Even after his retirement, Leoni continued to record on a project basis with established artists such as Fausto Papetti, while also keeping an eye out for new talent. In 1987, during a recording session he was introduced to Andrea Bocelli a young, visually impaired singer who was looking for his first break in music. Leoni, recognizing the young man's potential, established a relationship with him, and, working alongside Bocelli and the singer's future wife Enrica Cenzatti, presented the young singer's demo tape (newly recorded with the singer's original material) to a number of Italy's record labels, all of which turned him down not seeing a market for a pop singer with the voice of an opera tenor. Years after Leoni's full retirement from recording, and after years of rejections, Bocelli would finally catch his first break in the mid-1990s and become one of the world's most recognized and successful artists in the world.

In the 1990s, Maestro Ezio Leoni became increasingly involved on the policy aspect of protecting the rights of authors and publishers in Italy, and was elected to serve in different leadership roles within SIAE (Societa' Italiana Autori Editori), Italy's copyright agency for music, and UNCLA (Unione Nazionale Compositori Librettisti Autori). In 2011, he was nominated UNCLA's Honorary President, as recognition for the contributions made in the pioneering of the Italian music industry during the 20th century, and the rich legacy he left behind.^[8] Such honor had been previously awarded to Gorni Kramer, Ennio Morricone and Mogol, all of whom stand alongside Maestro Ezio Leoni as pillars of Italy's post-war music sound.

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