Italian superstar guitarist Zucchero

The list of musicians that Italian superstar Zucchero has recorded and collaborated with reads like a Who’s Who of rock and blues musicians. They include: Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, The Blues Brothers, Bono, Jeff Beck, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Peter Gabriel, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Mark Knopfler, Luciano Pavarotti, Alejandro Sanz, Sting and many others. His international breakthrough came in 1988, when he recorded the multi-million seller Blue, featuring performances by Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and The Memphis Horns.

Zucchero returns to the Olympia, bringing his acclaimed Black Cat Live Tour that has seen him perform across Europe this year – including two sold-out shows at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall in October, and a record-breaking 11 shows in Verona, Italy.

Zucchero (born Adelmo Fornaciari) is among the greatest interpreters of the Italian blues. He is best known for his hit single Senza Una Dona with Paul Young…the track went top-five across the world, including the USA, where it peaked at #5 on the Billboard charts and #4 in the UK.

In his native Italy, across Europe and Latin America he is a legitimate superstar. In four decades as a recording artist, he’s sold more than 60 million albums. His album Oro, incenso e birra sold more than eight million copies. He was the first Western artist to perform at the Kremlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Zucchero is widely regarded as one of the best blues & roots performers and has been described as Italy’s Santana. Influenced by artists such as Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, his music and influence have spread across genres and border.

Zucchero was the only Italian artist to participate at the 1994 Woodstock Festival, at the Freddie Mercury Tribute in 1992, and at all the Nelson Mandela 46664 events. His December 2012 concert at the Higher Institute of Art in Havana is considered the biggest concert in history by a foreign singer in Cuba.

His current album, Black Cat, was released in April 2016 and features the song Streets of Surrender (S.O.S), with lyrics written by Bono and a guest appearance on guitar by Mark Knopfler. The composition is dedicated to the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks. Another single, Turn the World Down, was written by Elvis Costello. Both songs are performed in English.

The show will be at L’Olympia, 1004 Ste-Catherine East (the theater where Sugar Sammy did so many shows). Tickets: $89.50, $67.50, $54.50 (taxes included / service charge extra) at (514) 845-3524 x1 and at olympiamontreal.com