La Bionda
The La Bionda brothers, Carmelo (born 1949) and Michelangelo (born 1952), originally from Sicily, were the first to achieve success in Italian dance music production with their two brands: La Bionda ( a project which encompassed various styles) and D.D. Sound (which originated as a "disco" brand). The two brothers started out in a theatre- lab. They made their debut at the Festival di Avanguardie e Nuove Tendenze in 1972. Subsequently they did stints in recording studios, collaborating with Mia Martini, Ricchi e Poveri and Bruno Lauzi. Their first album, "F.lli La Bionda Srl", which they published and produced themselves in 1973, had lyrics by Bruno Lauzi and was predominantly acoustic with parts which were "progressive" and others which were of a lighter nature. They moved to London and recorded "Ogni Volta Che Tu Te Ne Vai" at Apple Studios in 1974. After that they moved to Munich, which was the capital of dance music at that time and they were among the first to propose disco music throughout Europe. Slowly and steadily they came out with "disco" songs, with a smattering of such diverse elements as Rhythm and Blues and Latin music.
In 1977, D.D.Sound appeared on the scene, and immediately achieved huge success in the discotheques with their first single, "Disco Bass" which was completely instrumental (The song was also chosen as the theme song for the "Domenica Sportiva" programme). They had even greater success with a song which came out almost at the same time – "1. 2. 3. 4.Gimme Some More" which had a free and easy rhythm. Their music was also popular internationally (more than 10 million copies sold) and between 1978 and 1979, D.D.Sound amassed a number of hits ("She’s Not a Disco Lady", "Café", "Hootchie Cootchie"). Their best single was "Café", which managed to combine "disco" with Brazilian rhythms, percussion and choruses, creating an amalgamation which was refined yet fun, a compelling vortex of sound.
Just as D.D.Sound was bursting onto the scene, La Bionda came out with a number of hits under their own name ("One For You, One For Me," "Bandido" and finally "Rocky Woman" in 1981) and cut four LP’s: LA BIONDA (1978) BANDIDO (1979) HIGH ENERGY (1979) I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER (1980).
Since 1982 they have preferred to dedicate their time to production and the running of their Milan recording studio. As producers, they are responsible for the hits of Righiera and also for several famous jingles (Sorrisi Is Magic for example). They have also written film scores (several for the films of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill) under various pseudonyms.