Franca Raimondi was an Italian singer who represented her home country in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano, Switzerland with the song Aprite le finestre.
About[]
Born in Monopoli, Province of Bari, Apulia on 8 July 1928, Raimondi studied operatic singing and foreign languages to become a known singer over some time.
Fame and Eurovision[]
In 1956, Raimondi was among the winners of a Rai's contest of new voices and got the chance to perform at the 1956 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, which she eventually won with the song "Aprite le finestre". That same year she represented Italy in the first Eurovision Song Contest with the same song, alongside Tonina Torrielli with "Amami se vuoi".
In 1957 she participated in the Nice Festival, signing at the same time a contract with Rai to sing on the radio with an orchestra conducted by Gian Stellari. In the following years she participated in Canzonissima and the Bari Festival, starting tours in Canada and America where she found great popularity.
In 1960 she brought the song "Canzone all'antica" to the Naples Festival paired with Mario Trevi, but they did not reach the final. In 1961 she was present at the Zurich Festival with the song "Show your ways". She participated in a lot of radio shows in the 60s, continuing her music career until her death.
She passed away from cancer in Monopoli, Italy on the 22nd of April, 1990.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1956 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | |||
 Jetty Paerl •  Lys Assia •  Fud Leclerc •  Walter Andreas Schwarz •  Mathé Altéry •  Michèle Arnaud •  Franca Raimondi • Corry Brokken • Lys Assia • Mony Marc • Freddy Quinn • Dany Dauberson • Michèle Arnaud • Tonina Torrielli
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| Songs | |||
| De vogels van Holland • Das alte Karussell • Messieurs les noyés de la Seine • Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück • Le temps perdu • Ne crois pas • Aprite le finestre • Voorgoed voorbij • Refrain • Le plus beau jour de ma vie • So geht das jede Nacht • Il est là • Les amants de minuit • Amami se vuoi
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