La Bionda

Biography

La Bionda were an Italian disco duo consisting of siblings Carmelo (1949–2022) and Michelangelo La Bionda (born 1952). They are considered among the pioneers of the Italo disco music genre.
The siblings were born in Ramacca, Sicily and moved to Milan, Lombardy in 1954.

Beginnings

Carmelo was born on 2 February 1949, and Michelangelo on 25 August 1952 in Ramacca, Sicily. Their family moved to Milan in 1954.

Music career

They debuted as songwriters with "Primo sole, primo fiore", a piece the pop band Ricchi e Poveri presented at the Song Festival in Venice in 1970. They also wrote "Neve bianca, Amica, Gentile se vuoi" for the Italian female singer Mia Martini, and "Piccolo uomo" with Bruno Lauzi (lyrics). Michelangelo La Bionda also did some session work. In 1975, he played acoustic guitar on the album Volume VIII by Fabrizio De André.
Between 1972 and 1977, La Bionda recorded two albums of acoustic ballads, Fratelli La Bionda s.r.l. (1972) and Tutto Va Bene (1977). "Tutto va bene×Tutto va bene1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1PrisonerA2Ogni volta che tu te ne vaiA3Tutto va beneA4Lo devi fareA5Hey JoB1Come Down EasyB2Storia di marzoB3Non mi svegliareB4Voci del giorno e della notteB5Il tuo deserto" was recorded at the Apple Studios in London, and features Nicky Hopkins on piano.
La Bionda became popular when they turned to disco music. They moved to Munich, when they started recording under the pseudonym D. D. Sound (short for Disco Delivery Sound), a moniker that would accompany them for their entire recording career. Their first two disco singles, "Disco Bass" and "Burning Love", became international hits. They were followed by "Café" (1977) and "1, 2, 3, 4 Gimme Some More".
In 1978, they released their album La Bionda. It included "Sandstorm×Sandstorm1982 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASandstorm (vocal)10:45BSandstorm (instrumental)6:00" (produced by Dieter Bohlen) and "There for Me", as well as the worldwide hit "One for You, One for Me×One for You, One for Me1978 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOne for You, One for Me3:04BThere for Me3:22". From 1978 to 1981, La Bionda continued to record more dance music, either under their name (as with the albums Bandido×BandidoJanuary 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Desert of Mars6:34A2Welcome Home3:25A3Moonlight Palais4:15A4Baby Make Love4:17B1Bandido4:13B2Black and White4:04B3Never Gonna Let You Go6:52B4Will She or Won’t She3:58, High Energy×High Energy1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracksA1High Energy7:20A2I Got Your Number6:40A3Tune It Up3:33B1Disco Roller6:53B2Listen to My Heart5:07B3Save Your Energy6:12 and I Wanna Be Your Lover×I Wanna Be Your Lover1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1I Wanna Be Your Lover4:18A2Johnie Don't Go Away5:30A3Action3:17A4A Moment of Sunshine4:52B1Night Flight4:22B2You're So Fine3:55B3One Thing's for Sure3:48B4Cyclone Rock3:24B5Don't Cry Now3:14) or as D. D. Sound (as with the singles "Café", "The Hootchie Cootchie", and "Wake Up in the Night"). Following the 1980s, La Bionda focused on writing, producing and publishing music.

Songwriting and production

In the 1980s, La Bionda scored the soundtracks for many films directed by Sergio and Bruno Corbucci, including Super Fuzz (1980), Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981), starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, My Darling, My Dearest (1981), Cat and Dog (1983), A tu per tu (1984), Miami Supercops (1985) and Roba da ricchi (1987), as well as Virtual Weapon (1997), directed by Antonio Margheriti. They also composed the theme from the television series Inspector Giusti with Enrico Montesano, and produced various commercial jingles, such as "Sorrisi is Magic for Smiles and Songs" (for the Italian magazine Sorrisi & Canzoni), "Heart of Cream" (for Walls' Cornetto), "I'm Coming Home" (for Bayer Aspirin) and Coca-Cola. In 2009, they re-recorded "1, 2, 3, 4 ... Gimme Some More" for a Vodafone commercial and "One For You, One For Me×One for You, One for Me1978 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOne for You, One for Me3:04BThere for Me3:22" for the digital television channel Mediaset Premium.
In parallel, in 1983, they began their collaboration with the dance duo Righeira, writing their early hits "Vamos a la playa" and "No Tengo Dinero". In 1984, Carmelo La Bionda recorded a single as a solo artist. "I Love You"/"You're So Fine" have been sampled by American Band Neon Indian.

Logic Studios

In 1985, La Bionda founded and started operating Logic Studios, a recording studio in Milan. Musicians who have recorded at Logic Studios over the years include Ray Charles, Robert Palmer, Paul Young, and Depeche Mode, as well as pop stars like Laura Pausini, Nek, Rihanna and Pooh.

Personal lives

Carmelo La Bionda died of cancer on 5 November 2022, at the age of 73.