Mina

Aliases: Baby Gate & The Happy Boys
Baby Gate and Her Rhythmic Fellows
Baby Gate & The Solitaires
Real name: Anna Maria Mazzini
Born: March 25, 1940
Country: Italy
Comments: By far the most successful Italian pop singer, her career has spanned seven decades. In the 1950's, she was one of the "urlatori" ("screamers", early Italian rock'n'rollers); in fact, she recorded (in English) several covers of rock'n'roll standards using the stage name "Baby Gate". Thanks to her impressive vocal range, she soon developed a more sophisticated style, incorporating pop, rock, jazz and even classical music. In the 1960's her popularity grew exponentially, as she hosted many TV shows for the Italian State Television (RAI). In a bold and surprising move, she quit touring in 1978 and reduced her public appearances at minimum. Nevertheless, she still releases an album of new material almost every year.
Related: Augusto Martelli Professional and romantic partner (second half of the 1960's)