Pippo Starnazza (16 April 1909 – 16 July 1975) was an Italian jazz singer and actor.
Pippo Starnazza | |
|---|---|
 Pippo Starnazza in Almost Human (1974) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luigi Redaelli |
| Born | 16 April 1909 Milan, Italy |
| Died | 16 July 1975 (aged 66) Milan |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1920s–1970s |
Born Luigi Redaelli in Milan, he started his career in the 1920s, playing the drums in the De Carli Orchestra at the Orfeo music hall in Milan.[1] After having been part of several other orchestras and jazz bands, in the early 1930s Redaelli started his solo career as a singer, specializing in creating humorous covers of popular American songs in Milanese dialect.[1] In 1939, he adopted his stage name and formed the Quintetto del Delirio (Delirium Quintet), with whom he sang cover songs where the English lyrics were replaced by an onomatopoeic, gibberish language.[1][2] Beginning the 1960s, he appeared in many films in supporting and character roles.[1][2] He died of cardiac arrest at the age of sixty-six.[2]