Caterina Valente

Caterina Valente (14 January 1931 – 9 September 2024) was an Italian-French-German multilingual singer, guitarist and dancer. She spoke six languages and sang in eleven. While she was best known as a performer in Europe, Valente spent part of her career in the United States, where she performed alongside Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.

Life and career

Caterina Valente was born in Paris to Italian parents Giuseppe and Maria Valente. In 1955, she was featured on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. In 1958, she filmed the musical comedy Hier bin ich – hier bleib ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) which featured a guest appearance by Bill Haley & His Comets. During Haley's segment, Valente sang a duet with Haley on a newly recorded version of his song "Vive la Rock and Roll".

Her brother—Italian musician, singer and film actor Silvio Francesco (1927–2000)—performed with her, sang many duets, danced, and played the clarinet in the shadow of his famous sister.

In Germany, she was a major performer of Schlager music. There, she recorded Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" under the German title "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe", which sold more than 900,000 copies from its release in November 1954 to December 1958, according to Der Spiegel's report of January 1959. By a report from 1978, Valente's single, "The Breeze and I", has sold more than one million copies, making it her best-selling record. Both songs were published by the German Polydor label, and their success made Valente a star. At the end of 1958, this collaboration was terminated and she changed to Teldec Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH.

In 1959, she was nominated for a Grammy Award.

In the mid-1960s, Valente worked with Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English that he arranged/conducted and/or composed on the Decca and London labels. Valente was a favorite of singer Perry Como, making eight guest appearances on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television program from 1961 to 1966. In 1964–65, she was a co-host (with Carol Burnett and initially Bob Newhart) of The Entertainers , a CBS variety show for which she was awarded the recognition of best female vocalist on American television. She was a frequent guest on The Dean Martin Show. Valente also made three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Over the years, she recorded or performed with many international stars, including Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Claus Ogerman, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sy Oliver, Buddy Rich and Edmundo Ros.

In 1970, she appeared in the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium singing "Before the Parade Passes By" and "The Breeze and I".

A briglia sciolta, the Italian jazz CD recorded in 1989 and re-released in later years under the titles Fantastica and Platinum deluxe, was her best-selling CD worldwide. In 2001, she released a new album, Girltalk, with harpist Catherine Michel. She retired in 2003.

In 2019, her hit song from 1959, "Bongo cha cha cha" was included in the soundtrack of Spider-Man: Far from Home, directed by Jon Watts, becoming viral and rising to new popularity. In 2021, the song went viral on social media platform TikTok, thanks to its use for a trend that has collected over 250 million views, started from Latin countries and South America, and then popularized also in Italy and Germany.

Valente died in Lugano, Switzerland on 9 September 2024, at the age of 93.

Selected album discography

• The Hi-Fi Nightingale, 1956 (Decca DL 8203)
• Olé Caterina, 1957 (Decca DL-8436)
• Plenty Valente!, 1957 (Decca DL 8440)
• A Toast to the Girls, 1958 (Decca DL 8755)
• Schlagerparade 1958 (Decca DL 8852)
• À la Carte – Caterina Valente Sings in French, 1959 (Decca DL 4050)
• Arriba!, 1959 (Decca DL 4051)
• Continental Favorites, 1959 (London TW 91198), UK and India as Rendezvous with Caterina 1960 (Decca)
• More Schlagerparade 1960 (Decca DL 4035)
• Fire & Frenzy – Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros Orchestra, 1960 (London SW 99019)
• Classics with a Chaser, 1960 (RCA Victor LPM-2119)
• The Greatest... in Any Language!, 1961 (Decca DL 4052)
• Super-Fonics, 1961 (RCA LSP-2241)
• I Wish You Love, 1962 (London PS 275), elsewhere released as Great Continental Hits, Decca
• Strictly U.S.A., 1962 (London LL 3307)
• South of the Border, 1963. London
• Valente in Swingtime, 1963. Teldec
• Songs I've Sung on the Perry Como Show, 1963. London
• I Happen to Like New York, 1964 (London LL 3362)
• Valente & Violins, 1964 (London 3363)
• Golden Favorites, 1964 (Decca DL-4504) compilation
• Caterina Valente's Greatest Hits, 1965. Decca
• The Intimate Valente, 1966. London LL 3473
• Sweet Beat, 1968 (London PS 536)
• Silk 'N' Latin – Caterina Valente with Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra, 1969 (London 44125)
• Love, 1972. (London Phase 4), Stereo

• Serenata d'Amore
• A Poliglota da Canção
• Caterina - A Cosmopolita, Polydor 46065
• Caterina Valente com Edmundo Ros

• Caterina Cherie, Polydor 46310

• Una Cita Con Caterina Valente (A Date With Caterina Valente), Polydor 24011, 10 inch LP
• Olé, Caterina! (Polydor 25019)
• Un Brindis para las Muchachas (Polydor 25048)
• Bueno... Clásico... y Popular! (Classics with a Chaser) (RCA Victor LPM-2119)
• Classics with a Chaser (RCA Victor LPM-2119)

• Cosmopolitan Lady (Polydor 46065)
• A Toast To The Girls (Polydor 46074)

• Great Continental Hits, 1962. Decca LK 4508
• Valente In Swingtime, 1963. Decca SKL 4537
• I Happen to Like New York, 1964. Decca LK 4630
• Caterina Valente's Greatest Hits, 1965. Decca LK 4737
• Nothing But Aces – Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros, 1969. Decca PFS.4157
• The World of Caterina Valente, 1971. Decca SPA 192

• I Happen to Like New York, World Record Club S/4384, 196?
• Great Continental Hits, World Record Club, 1967
• The Best of Caterina Valente, SUMMIT Karussell SRA 250–548 (on the cover)/2430 032 (on the label)

• Plenty Valente!, 1957. Polydor LPHM 43.037
• A Date With Caterina Valente, Polydor 45 517
• Olé Caterina!, Polydor 46 029 LPHM
• Weltschlager mit Caterina Valente, 1959. Polydor Sonderauflage Bertelsmann J 53503, 10 inch LP
• Ihre großen Erfolge
• Konzert für Frack und Petticoat – Classics with a Chaser, RCA LSP-2119
• Super-Fonics, RCA LSP-2241
• Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros: Latein Amerikanische Rhythmen, DECCA BLK 16184-P
• Caterina in Italia, Decca BLK 16211-P
• Caterina on Tour, Decca BLK 16213-P
• Caterina Valente & Silvio Francesco: Deutsche Evergreens, Decca SLK 16 189 P
• Pariser Chic, Pariser Charme, Decca SLK 16266 P
• I Happen to Like New York, Decca SLK 16 290
• Wenn es Nacht wird in den Städten, 1965. Decca SLK 16 345
• Portrait in Music, Decca SLK 16 420-P
• Happy Caterina, Decca SLK 16485-P
• Die großen Erfolge (Decca ND 103, Stereo)
• Schlager, Lieder & Chansons, Decca ND 182
• Schlager, Lieder & Chansons 2, Decca ND 557
• Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros: Olé Mambo, 1969. Decca 79 505
• Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros: Latin together, Decca SLK 16849-P
• Ich wär so gern bei Dir, Decca 6.22003
• The Best Of Caterina Valente, Polydor 184047
• Tanz mit Catrin, HÖR ZU TELDEC HZT 514
• Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe - Caterina Valente singt ihre Welterfolge, 1970.
• Bonjour Kathrin – Caterina Valente präsentiert ihre größten Erfolge, 1965
• Bonjour Kathrin, Karussell 635 106

• Cosmopolitan Lady, 10 inch LP
• Caterina Latin Album, 1963
• De Luxe Latin Album, 1966

• Latein Amerikanische Rhythmen, 1960
• Du bist Musik, 1956 (45106 LPH – Polydor Sternchen)

Selected filmography

• The Big Star Parade (1954)
• Ball at the Savoy (1955)
• Love, Dance and a Thousand Songs (1955)
• Du bist Musik [de] (1956)
• Bonjour Kathrin (1956)
• The Simple Girl (1957)
• Und abends in die Scala [de] (1958)
• Here I Am, Here I Stay (1959)
• Du bist wunderbar [de] (1959)
• Snow White and the Seven Jugglers (1962)

Awards

• 1961: Bravo Otto, "Female singers" Gold (also 1960, 1962 and 1963 in Silver)
• 1964: "Europremio" European TV Award, Venice, Italy
• 1965: "O Globo" Award for Best Foreign Singer of Latin American music, Brazil
• 1965: "FAME Award", USA
• 1968: Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse ("1st Class Cross of Merit"), Germany
• 1972: "Officier de l'éducation artistique" Officer of Artistic Education, Paris, France
• 1986: "Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" Grand Cross of Merit, Germany
• 1966: Goldene Kamera, Germany
• 1990: Bambi, Germany
• 1991: Goldene Europa "Lifetime-Award", Saarbrücken, Germany
• 1995: Bambi "Lifetime-Award", Germany
• 1998: Platin Romy Lifetime Award, Austria
• 2002: Echo, "Lifetime-Award" Germany
• 2004: "Premio GABARDI", Lifetime Milano, Italy
• 2005: Honorary Bambi, Germany
• 2022: Dancers over 40 Legacy Award, USA