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Dear Readers,
Zucchero, Italy’s worldwide musical legend, on his “Fly World Tour 2007” will perform in the Bay Area on Sunday, October 14, 2007. Johnny Fortuna and the good folks at the Saddle Rack in Fremont, California (42011 Boscell Road,?Fremont, CA 93538, tel.: (510) 979-0477, www.thesaddle-rack.com) have asked me to spread the word that tickets on sale now are going fast and may soon be sold out; so order now to avoid disappointment.

Zucchero (=sugar), born Adelmo Fornaciari on September 25, 1955 in Roncocesi, a suburb of Reggio Emilia, is an Italian Rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic pop rock pieces. He is known worldwide by his stage name Zucchero, meaning sugar, a nickname given to him at a very young age by an elementary school teacher who said he was as sweet as sugar: “tutto marmellata e zucchero” (all jam and sugar).

Zucchero has dueted with some of the world’s most famous artists, among them Andrea Bocelli, Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti. I just viewed my 2000 Pavarotti and friends DVD, live from Parco Novi Sad, Modena, and friends included Zucchero and benefited school construction in Cambodia.

Zucchero’s musical career began in 1970, with several small bands in Italy, such as I Ducali, Le Nuove Luci, Sugar and Candies and finally a band named Taxi with whom he won the Castrocaro music festival in 1981. He made his first appearance in the famous Sanremo Festival, next year, with “Una notte che vola via” and in 1983 with “Nuvola” at the “Festival dei Fiori.” His first album, “Un po’ di zucchero,” was released the same year.

In 1984 Zucchero temporarily moved to California, where he collaborated for the first time with Italian producer Corrado Rustici. The result of these sessions, with a backing band that included bassist Randy Jackson, was the 1985 album “Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band,” of which the single “Donne” became a huge hit in Italy.

Although “Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band” and “Rispetto” had been commercially successful, it was the 1988 album Blues that went on to become the highest selling album in Italian history, and made Zucchero a household name in Italy and the rest of Europe. The album, again produced by Rustici, featured music performances by Clarence Clemmons, Memphis Horns and included the Italian hit singles “Con le Mani” (with lyrics by Gino Paoli) and the original version of “Senza una Donna.”

In 1989 Zucchero and his band recorded the album Oro, incenso e birra in Memphis. The album, greatly influenced by American soul music, included guest appearance by Eric Clapton and blues singer Rufus Thomas. Zucchero’s band by that time included former E-Street Bandmember David Sancious. Oro, incenso e birra still stands as one of Zucchero’s most successful albums, outselling even Blues and included the Italian hitsingles “Diamante”, “Overdose (d’Amore”), “Il Mare” and “Wonderful World.”

After his million selling success of Blues and Oro albums in Italy, Zucchero, from 1990 on, attempted to conquer the rest of Europe.

In 1990, Zucchero sings his hits in English albums were released in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
In the album Zucchero’s best known hit “Senza una donna” (Without a woman), in duet with Paul Young, was a great success worldwide, reaching number 1 in most European charts, and number 2 hit in 1991 in the United Kingdom.

Zucchero continued dueting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and Eric Clapton. Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation of “Zu & Co” (2004).
The year 1991 also saw the release of Zucchero’s first live album, “Live at the Kremlin”, recorded in Moscow.

In 1992 Zucchero released his album Miserere. Again produced by Corrado Rustici, it was a much darker album than Zucchero’s previous works, which was made clear by the title track, a duet with Luciano Pavarotti.

In 1994, using the same method as “Zucchero sings his hits in English”, Zucchero sang his hits in Spanish for the South American market and was the only European artist to perform at the 25th anniversary edition of the Woodstock Festival in the United States.

The 1995 album Spirito di Vino, that inclued the smash European hits “Il Volo” and “Papà perché?” is one of Zucchero’s most successful to date, selling over 3 million copies in Europe alone and was up in first place on the Italian year charts.
The best of Zucchero Fornaciari’s greatest hits was released in 1996 shooting into all European charts, and number 1 position in France and Italy.

The CD, released in an Italian and English version, contained 13 of Zucchero’s greatest hits (excluding the Miserere period) and three new songs, including the single “Menta e rosmarino” (I feel so lonely tonight). During the sold out tour Zucchero sang in Milan and played “My Love” (the English version of “Il volo”) during the ‘96 Pavarotti and Friends show. The Best of the Tour also brought Zucchero to the United States for the first time playing to sold out venues in New York, L.A. and San Francisco.

The 1998 album Bluesugar Zucchero moved from Spirito di Vino’s New Orleans feeling to a more English rock style. The CD, produced by Corrado Rustici, included Santana bassist Benny Rietveld and U2’s Bono wrote the lyrics to the English version of “Blue”.

The CD sold over 1 million copies in three months.
Zucchero took some time off to work on new music and hit, in the summer of 2001, with the smash European single Baila Morena, Shake, the album that followed two months later, produced by Corrado Rustici, ended up being one of the fastest selling Zucchero albums ever (2 millions in Europe in 10 months). In 2002 and 2003 Zucchero and his band toured throughout Europe and Canada with the Shake Tour.

2004 saw the release of the duet album ZU & Co. The album was presented during a concert in London’s Albert Hall where many of the album’s guest stars appeared to perform with Zucchero. ZU &?Co. and its American 2005 counterpart (Zucchero & Co. was released on the Starbucks Hear Music music label and became huge hits. Zucchero took part in the 2005 Live 8 concert, in both Rome and Paris.

In 2006, his latest album, entitled Fly, was released. It includes the European hit singles “Bacco, perbacco”, “Cuba Libre”, “Occhi” and “Un Kilo” and features collaboration with artists such as Ivano Fossati and Jovanotti. Zucchero and his band are currently touring to promote “Fly”, hence the title “Fly World Tour 2007.”

Tonight, Sept. 27, Zucchero will be performing in concert in Boston, Massachusetts at the Somerville Theater. If that is a little out of your way geographically, then be sure to attend his Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007 at the Saddle Rack in Fremont, California. Many of you may remember the Saddlerack from 1976 when it opened in San Jose, California on six and a half acres of land in the former all-you-can-eat smorgasbord Bit of Sweden Restaurant.

When the restaurant biz started slowing, Mr. Guenther bought the restaurant out and opened the huge Saddle Rack in 1976 at the foot of Lincoln Avnue where the land was still surrounded by apricot trees and Italian ladies worked in the canneries.

Andy Buchanan, who had befriended Guenther at the Eastridge Ice Arena when the two played ice hockey, became general manager. Guenther’s club joined the rest of the country and western bars, including Cowtown in San Jose, the Horseshoe Club in Santa Clara and the Silver Saddle in Morgan Hill, the Rio Grande in Mountain View, and Cher in Sunnyvale. All have since closed.

By 2000, getting offers he couldn’t refuse, Mr. Guenther sold the property to KB Homes and the Saddle Rack closed its doors in San Jose soon after Gary Robinson, a private pilot, purchased the rights to the Saddle Rack name from Mr. Guenther and along with Andy Buchanan reopened the Saddle Rack in Fremont in California in April 2003.

Mr. Guenther never saw the Rack reopened as his twin-engine airplabe crashed into a muddy South San Jose hillside killing him and two passengers. (Mr. Guenther was a volunteer pilot with Los Medicos Voladores, the Bay Area-based flying doctors program that carries physicians from the United States to Mexico, where the doctors treat patients for free,

Many of our readers who fondly remember fun times at the Saddle Rack in San Jose but have not yet visited the Saddle Rack in Fremont, built on a three-acre site at 32011 Boscell Rd. in Fremont with an additional contiguous acre purchased to provide convenient parking should circle the Sunday, October 14th date and order their tickets (tel.: 510/979-0477) now to see and hear Zucchero at the Saddle Rack, on his Fly World Tour 2007.

10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410