Jonio, Italy

March 23, 1945

Born in 1945 in the village of Jonio, Italian superstar Franco Battiato's initial stabs into musical work in the '60s didn't go anywhere beyond a single or two, leaving his first real break to occur in the early '70s when he began recording a series of albums for the underground label Bla Bla. Avant-rocker Jim O'Rourke has named him as one of his favorites, Simple Minds' Jim Kerr has collaborated with him, while an ever-expanding series of reissues brought his early work to the attention of prog-psych fanatics around the globe in the late '90s, even as he pursues his current recording interests in other spheres. ~ Ned Raggett