Giunio Guardabassi

Introduce

Giancarlo Guardabassi (Foligno, August 21, 1937 – Francavilla d’Ete, July 17, 2024) was an Italian disc jockey, singer, and lyricist. Guardabassi, seen here with Anna Carini during a break from “Count Down” at the Radio Rai studios, was the son of Count Alberto Guardabassi, a country doctor, and Baroness Orietta Danzetta. He hailed from a distinguished Perugian family, with the Guardabassi name honoring his ancestor, Senator Francesco Guardabassi, a hero of the Italian Risorgimento. In the 1950s, Guardabassi attended classical high school on via Guardabassi in Perugia and later earned a law degree from the University of Perugia. Initially, he pursued a career in law at a prominent firm. In November 1958, he won the Edera d’Oro National Light Music Competition in Collescipoli. In the early 1960s, his friend and pianist Claudio Mantovan introduced him to musician Bruno Zambrini, who then arranged a meeting with talent scout and songwriter Franco Migliacci. After an audition at Migliacci’s home in Rome, Guardabassi signed his first record contract with RCA Italiana. His song “Se ti senti sola,” performed at the Cantagiro in 1964, quickly climbed the Italian sales charts. He also achieved success with hits like “Sulamente a mia,” which he sang at the 1964 Festival of Naples with Claudio Villa, as well as “Da’ retta a me,” “A me piace tua figlia,” and “Torna Torna Torna.” Guardabassi recorded several hits in Spanish and, following a tour in Argentina and Brazil, his music gained popularity across South and Central America. He became particularly well-known in Argentina and Cuba, where, during the “década prodigiosa,” he was introduced on the radio either by his real name or, more frequently, as Juan Carlos Guardaban.