Pino Daniele was an Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Naples, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern Italian music.
He grew up in a working-class Neapolitan neighborhood and absorbed local folk traditions alongside blues, jazz, and funk. Pino became famous in the late 1970s for blending Neapolitan dialect songwriting with Afro-American styles, creating what he called “tarumbò”, a hybrid of Mediterranean melody and Black music grooves.
His lyrics often explored urban life, social inequality, spirituality, and Neapolitan identity with poetic irony.
Collaborated internationally with artists such as Eric Clapton, Pat Metheny, and Wayne Shorter.
He died suddenly in 2015, leaving a legacy that shaped Italian pop, jazz-fusion, and singer-songwriter traditions.
Music
1977 — Terra mia
1979 — Pino Daniele
1980 — Nero a metà (breakthrough classic)
1981 — Vai mò (live/studio hybrid)
1982 — Bella ’mbriana
1984 — Musicante
(1984) - Sciò Live
1985 — Ferryboat
1987 — Bonne soirée
1988 — Schizzechea with Love
1989 — Mascalzone latino
1991 — Un uomo in blues
1993 — Che Dio ti benedica
1993 — E sona mò
1995 — Non calpestare i fiori nel deserto
1997 — Dimmi cosa succede sulla Terra
1999 — Come un gelato all’equatore
2001 — Medina
2004 — Passi d’autore
2005 — Iguana Café – Latin Blues e Melodie
2007 — Il mio nome è Pino Daniele e vivo qui
2009 — Electric Jam
2010 — Boogie Boogie Man
2012 — La grande madre