{{Short description|Italian singer-songwriter (1954–2014)}} {{Expand Italian|topic=bio|Mango (cantante)|date=May 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Mango | alias = Pino Mango | image = Mango a Sanremo 1985.jpg | landscape = yes | caption = Mango at the [[Sanremo Music Festival 1985]] | background = solo_singer |birth_name=Giuseppe Mango | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1954|11|6}} |birth_place =[[Lagonegro]], Italy | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2014|12|8|1954|11|6}} |death_place =[[Policoro]], Italy | instrument = Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar | genre = [[Pop rock]], [[Folk music|folk]], [[world music]] | occupation = Singer-songwriter | years_active = 1976–2014}}
'''Giuseppe''' "'''Pino'''" '''Mango''' (6 November 1954 – 8 December 2014), better known [[mononym]]ously as '''Mango''', was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. He was known for his style which fuses [[Pop music|pop]], [[Rock music|rock]], [[Folk music|folk]], [[world music]] and for his extensive vocal range. He is best known for the song "[[Oro (Mango song)|Oro]]", from his 1986 breakout album release ''[[Odissea]]''. Other hits include "[[Lei verrà]]", "Mediterraneo", "[[Bella d'estate]]", "Amore per te", "Come Monnalisa", "Nella mia città" and "[[La rondine (song)|La rondine]]".
Mango has been defined by Italian music author Mario Luzzatto Fegiz as an "authentic innovator of Italian pop music"<ref>{{cite web|title=Mango, la voce divenuta strumento che ha rinnovato la musica leggera|author=Mario Luzzatto Fegiz|work=Corriere della Sera|url=http://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/14_dicembre_08/mango-morto-voce-divenuta-strumento-innovatore-musica-leggera-9016ab1a-7ed4-11e4-bf8b-faa9d359f85b.shtml|accessdate=20 December 2014|language=it}}</ref> and [[AllMusic]] considers him an "Italian rock fusion innovator".<ref name = "Allmusic">{{cite web|title=Mango – Biography|author=Evan C. Gutierrez|publisher=AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mango-mn0000672264/biography|accessdate=29 December 2014}}</ref> He wrote songs for Italian artists such as [[Patty Pravo]], [[Loredana Bertè]], [[Andrea Bocelli]], [[Mietta]]. Part of his repertoire was performed by Italian and foreign musicians, including [[Mina (Italian singer)|Mina]], [[Mia Martini]], [[Leo Sayer]], [[Hélène Ségara]] and [[Eleftheria Arvanitaki]].
==Biography==
===Beginning and early career=== Mango was born in [[Lagonegro]], [[province of Potenza]]. He grew up listening mainly to [[soul music|soul]] and [[hard rock]] music, his favourite musicians included [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Deep Purple]] and [[Peter Gabriel]]. He began his musical activity as a teen, playing in a cover band with his older brother Michele. Mango was not into Italian music at the time, stating he only performed some [[Lucio Battisti]]'s songs.<ref>{{cite web|title=L'amore è invisibile", il nuovo Mango. "U2, Sting, De André... canto quello che mi piace|author=[[Ernesto Assante]]|work=la Repubblica|url=http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2014/05/26/news/mango-87285275/|accessdate=16 December 2014|language=it}}</ref> He started to study sociology at the [[University of Salerno]] but he left after deciding to move to Rome trying to enter the music business.
In 1976 Mango recorded his first album, ''La mia ragazza è un gran caldo''.<ref>[http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2014/12/08/news/infarto_dopo_il_concerto_morto_il_cantante_mango-102371722 Notice of death of Pino Mango], ''la Repubblica''. Retrieved 9 December 2014.</ref> Two songs from the album, "Per te che mi apri l'universo" and "Tu pioggia io mattino", attracted the attention of [[Patty Pravo]], who put them on her album ''Tanto'' (1976), though, the title of the second song was changed in "Per amarti d'amore". [[Mia Martini]] also liked Mango's music and covered the song "Se mi sfiori" on the album ''Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto'' (1976).
He released other records like ''Arlecchino'' (1979) and ''È pericoloso sporgersi'' (1982). His first three works did not receive attention by the media, pushing Mango to abandon the music career but the meeting with lyricist [[Mogol (lyricist)|Mogol]] changed his mind.
===Breakthrough and success=== His breakthrough came in 1985 with the album ''Australia'', from which the single "Il viaggio" was performed by Mango at the [[Sanremo Music Festival]] of the same year. In 1986 he released ''[[Odissea]]'', a turning point in his career containing some of his most famous songs, "[[Lei verrà]]" and "Oro". The album saw the collaboration of [[Brian Auger]] on the keyboards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Un infarto ha stroncato l'Usignolo di Lagonegro durante un concerto|author=Ambrosia Jole Silvia Imbornone|publisher=lisolachenoncera.it|url=http://www.lisolachenoncera.it/rivista/primi_piani/limprovvisa-scomparsa-di-mango/|accessdate=13 December 2014|language=it}}</ref> 1987's ''[[Adesso]]'' includes the successful single "Bella d'estate", co-written with [[Lucio Dalla]].
Other notable records are ''[[Sirtaki (album)|Sirtaki]]'' (1990), from which famous singles such as the title-track, "Nella mia città" and "Come Monna Lisa" were extracted, and ''[[Come l'acqua]]'' (1992), known for the song "Mediterraneo". The album featured the involvement of musicians like drummer [[Manu Katché]] and bassist [[Pino Palladino]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Manu Katché: discography|publisher=manu-katche.com|url=http://www.manu-katche.com/contributions.htm?page=8|accessdate=19 December 2014}}</ref> Around this time, Mango also recorded three albums in Spanish: ''Ahora'' (1987), ''[[Inseguendo l’aquila|Hierro y Fuego]]'' (1988) and a Spanish version of ''[[Sirtaki (album)|Sirtaki]]'' (1991). On 30 April 1988 the single "Flor de Verano", Spanish version of "Bella d'estate" from ''Ahora'', peaked at number No. 1 on the Spain's [[Los 40 Principales]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Número 1 de 30/04/1988|publisher=los40.com|url=http://los40.com/lista40/cuando_naciste/19880430|accessdate=13 December 2014|language=es|archive-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223123632/http://los40.com/lista40/cuando_naciste/19880430|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mango participated at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Dove vai", accompanied by [[world music|world]] musician [[Ayub Ogada]].
[[File:Mango Nell'Acchiappanuvole Tour ad Udine.jpg|thumbnail|Mango, Acchiappanuvole Tour in [[Udine]] (2009)]] ''Credo'' (1997) contains the single "Luce" which was performed by Mango along with Zenîma at the 1998 Sanremo Music Festival; an English version of the song called "Light" was included in the 1998 reissue. [[Peter Gabriel]]'s guitarist [[David Rhodes (guitarist)|David Rhodes]] and [[Simple Minds]]'s drummer [[Mel Gaynor]] played on the record.<ref>{{cite web|title=Credo|publisher=discografia.dds.it|url=http://discografia.dds.it/scheda_titolo.php?idt=7447|accessdate=21 January 2014|language=it}}</ref> The track "Amore per te", from the album ''Visto così'' (1999), was used as the Italian theme of the telenovela ''[[El Privilegio de Amar]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Libera di amare|publisher=telenovelasmania.it|url=http://www.telenovelasmania.it/telenovelas_liberadiamare_curiosit%C3%A0.html|accessdate=13 December 2014|language=it}}</ref> Another successful album, ''[[Disincanto]]'' (2002), was supported by the singles "[[La rondine (song)|La rondine]]" and the title track. In 2004 he released ''Ti Porto in Africa'', which went double platinum.<ref name = "Allmusic"/> His last work is ''La terra degli aquiloni'', released in 2011. The album featured a [[Carlos Gardel]] cover of the song "Volver".
===Death=== On evening 7 December 2014, Mango suffered a heart attack during a concert in [[Policoro]], [[province of Matera]]. While performing the song "Oro", he raised an arm and said "excuse me" in Italian to the crowd. He then raised his arm again and collapsed. Mango was taken off stage, and the rest of the concert was canceled. He died before arriving at the hospital in the early hours of the following day.{{cn|date=November 2019}} He was 60.
On 9 December, his older brother Giovanni felt sick during the [[wake (ceremony)|wake]] and died at the hospital, aged 75. He is believed to have also died from a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mango's brother dies a day after star's death|url=http://www.thelocal.it/20141209/italian-star-mango-bows-out-on-stage|accessdate=14 December 2014|publisher=thelocal.it|date=9 December 2014}}</ref>
== Personal life == A very reserved person who rarely appeared in mass media, Mango was married to [[Laura Valente]], known for her tenure as vocalist with the pop band [[Matia Bazar]]. From their marriage two children were born: Filippo (b. 1995) and [[Angelina Mango|Angelina]] (b. 2001). They both collaborated with their father—Filippo as a drummer, and Angelina as a singer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buon viaggio, Mango|url=http://www.vanityfair.it/people/italia/14/12/08/mango-morto-infarto-concerto-foto-condoglianze-vip-social|accessdate=1 February 2015|publisher=vanityfair.it|language=it}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mango, La terra degli aquiloni: "Le canzoni devono arrivare agli occhi"|url=http://www.rockol.it/news-248785/mango-la-terra-degli-aquiloni-le-canzoni-devono-arrivare-agli-occhi |accessdate=9 May 2019|publisher=rockrol.it|language= it}}</ref>
== Songwriting == Mango wrote songs that were performed by other artists: <div style="font-size:90%; border:0px; padding:0px; text-align:center"> {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin:auto;clear:both;" |- bgcolor="#EFEFEF" ! Artist ! Song ! Year ! Album |- |rowspan="6"| [[Mietta]] | Per esempio… per amore |rowspan="2"| 2003 |rowspan="2"| Per esempio... per amore |- | Abbracciati e vivi |- | Fare l'amore | 2000 | Tutto o niente |- | E no (Cosa sei) |rowspan="3"| 1991 |rowspan="3"| Volano le pagine |- | Soli mai |- | Oltre te |- | [[Mia Martini]] | Se mi sfiori | 1976 | Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto |- |rowspan="4"| [[Patty Pravo]] |Per amarti d'amore |rowspan="2"|1976 |rowspan="2"|Tanto |- |Per te che mi apri l'universo |- | Goodbye my love | 1986 | |- | Sentirti | 1978 | Miss Italia |- |rowspan="2"| [[Loretta Goggi]] | Io nascerò |rowspan="2"| 1986 |rowspan="2"| C'è poesia |- | C'è poesia |- |rowspan="2"| [[Loredana Bertè]] | Re |rowspan="2"| 1986 |rowspan="2"| Fotografando... i miei successi |- | Fotogrando |- | [[Andrea Bocelli]] | L'attesa | 2004 | Andrea |- |rowspan="2"| [[Scialpi]] | L'Io e l'Es |rowspan="2"| 1983 |rowspan="2"| Es-tensioni |- | Hallelujah |- | [[Andrea Mirò]] | Non è segreto (single) | 1988 | |- | [[Laura Valente]] | – | 1985 | Tempo di blues (LP) |- |rowspan="2"| [[Festival di Sanremo 2006|Helena Hellwig]] | Di luna morirei |rowspan="2"| 2006 |rowspan="2"| Di luna morirei (CD Single) |- | Geranio |- |rowspan="2"| [[Dennis Fantina]] | Se non-con te |rowspan="2"| 2002 |rowspan="2"| Dennis |- | Non è il cuore |- | [[Gloria Bonaveri]] | Joe | 1996 | Gloria |- | [[Anna Bussotti]] | Nessun dolore (single) | 1986 | |- |} </div>
== Cover == Some of his songs were rearranged by Italian and foreign artists, including:
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Artist ! Song ! Year ! Album |- |[[Mia Martini]] |Se Mi Sfiori | 1976 | [[Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto]] |- |[[Patty Pravo]] | Per Te Che Mi Apri L'Universo<br>Per amarti d'amore (Tu pioggia io mattino) | 1976 | Tanto |- |Patty Pravo | Sentirti | 1978 | Sentirti/Notti Bianche |- | [[Scialpi]] | Nero e blu | 1983 | Es-tensioni |- | [[Loretta Goggi]] | Lei verrà (featuring Mango) | 1986 | [[C'è poesia]] |- | [[Leo Sayer]] | The Moth and the Flame (Tu...si) | 1990 | [[Sanremo Music Festival]] |- | [[Mina (Italian singer)|Mina]] | Oro | 1994 | [[Canarino mannaro]] |- | [[Hélène Ségara]] | Tu peux tout emporter (Amore per te) | 2000 | [[Au nom d'une femme]] |- | [[Mietta]] | Sentirti | 2003 | [[Per esempio... per amore]] |- | [[Eleftheria Arvanitaki]] | [[Min Orkizesai]] (Come Monna Lisa) | 2007 | [[Dinata 1986–2007]] |- | [[Neri per caso]] | Bella d'estate (featuring Mango) | 2008 | [[Angoli diversi]] |- | [[Wender (disk jockey)|Wender]] | Lei verrà (featuring Saretta) | 2010 | [[Alpacaaaa]] |- | [[Antonella Lo Coco]] | Disincanto | 2012 | Cuore scoppiato |- | [[Alessio Scarlata]] featuring Zenîma | Luce | 2015 |1st Posthumous Tribute Single |}
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums === * ''La mia ragazza è un gran caldo'' (1976) * ''Arlecchino'' (1979) * ''È pericoloso sporgersi'' (1982) * ''Australia'' (1985) * ''[[Odissea]]'' (1986) * ''[[Adesso]]'' (1987) * ''[[Inseguendo l’aquila]]'' (1988) * ''[[Sirtaki (album)|Sirtaki]]'' (1990) * ''[[Come l'acqua]]'' (1992) * ''L'Oro Di Mango'' (1993) * ''Mango'' (1994) * ''Credo'' (1997) * ''[[Disincanto]]'' (2002) * ''Ti porto in Africa'' (2004) * ''Ti amo così'' (2005) * ''L’albero delle fate'' (2007) * ''La terra degli aquiloni'' (2011)
=== Live albums === * ''Dove vai'' (1995) * ''[[Gli amori son finestre]]'' (2009)
=== Compilations === * ''Visto così'' (1999) * ''Tutto Mango: oro e platino'' (2006)
=== Albums recorded in Spanish === *''[[Adesso|Ahora]]'' (1987) *''[[Inseguendo l’aquila|Hierro y Fuego]]'' (1988) *''[[Sirtaki (album)|Sirtaki]]'' (1991)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Giuseppe Mango|Mango}} * [http://www.mango.it/ Official site] {{Mango|state=autocollapse}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mango}} [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:2014 deaths]] [[Category:People from Lagonegro]] [[Category:20th-century Italian male singers]] [[Category:21st-century Italian male singers]] [[Category:Filmed deaths in Europe]] [[Category:Filmed deaths of entertainers]] [[Category:Italian male singer-songwriters]] [[Category:20th-century Italian singer-songwriters]] [[Category:21st-century Italian singer-songwriters]] [[Category:Musicians who died on stage]]