Domenico Modugno

Domenico Modugno was born on 9 January 1928 in Italy, and by 1958 had written "Nel blu dipinto di blu," a song that broke through every border pop music had. It won the first Grammy Awards ever given for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, making him the first Italian cantautore—a singer who wrote his own material in a country where composers and performers had always been separate trades. He spent decades after as both actor and recording artist, then pivoted again and served in the Italian Parliament. He died on 6 August 1994, having rewritten what an Italian song could do in the world.