Don Backy

Aldo Caponi was born in 1939 in Santa Croce sull'Arno, in the province of Pisa. In the second half of the '50s, swept up by the fresh winds of rock'n'roll, he joined the band I Kiss (formerly Golden Boys). Around that time, his nickname Agatone became Agaton and was adopted as his stage name. In '61 I Kiss became I Delfini, who - together with Agaton - were booked for the summer season at the "Il Pirata" dance hall in Marina di Massa. At the end of the season, a split led three members of I Delfini to follow the defector Agaton, who - together with them - formed a new band he renamed Gli Apaches.

The song "La storia di Frankie Ballan", written in '60, brought him to the attention of industry insiders, and thanks to it Adriano Celentano recruited him into the newly formed Clan (1962). On this occasion he took on his definitive stage name, Don Backy. His regular band now became I Fuggiaschi, and his first single came out under the title "Fuggiasco", backed on the flipside by the song that had first brought him notice: "La storia di Frankie Ballan".

But it was with his third single that he made his mark on the public: a 1963 record, "Tris", containing three songs: "Amico", "Dimmi cosa c'è", "La Carità". The latter would feature in Sergio Corbucci's film "Il Monaco di Monza", shot with Don Backy and Celentano appearing as two young friars. The film's stars were Totò and Macario. "Amico" quickly shot to third place in the charts. The song tells of a friend suffering heartache, lifted back up by the brotherly words of the narrator.

From that moment on, Don Backy's songs enjoyed continuous success and were cherished over the years by a host of fans. As a songwriter, his undisputed talent often led him to write for others, and Celentano himself scored hits with songs Backy had penned ("Pregherò", "Sabato triste", "Sono un simpatico", etc.). Also in 1963, one of his songs, "Ho rimasto" – a cover of Ray Peterson's "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For", for which he wrote the original Italian lyrics – reached number ten on the Hit Parade.

Don Backy's success kept growing, peaking with two intense love ballads: "Cara" (1964, number 8) and "L'amore" (1965, number 6). In 1966 he toyed with protest, releasing the irreverent "Serenata", dedicated to the long-haired youths of the day. But it was 1967 that brought his true breakthrough, with two superb songs: "Poesia" and "L'immensità". The latter – performed at Sanremo alongside Johnny Dorelli – turned out to be the second best-selling single of the entire year. That same year, 1967, he published his first book, rather whimsically titled "Io che miro il tondo", for Feltrinelli, earning glowing reviews.

Around the same time, he began his acting career. He appeared in Gianni Puccini's film "I sette fratelli Cervi" and in Carlo Lizzani's "Banditi a Milano". Right as several Clan artists were leaving Celentano (the Fuggiaschi, the Ribelli, not to mention the earlier departures of Ricky Gianco and Guidone back in 1963), Don Backy – out of loyalty – turned down an offer from a major record label, which was willing to pay him the considerable sum of 30 million lire (a fortune at the time!) to join its roster. Yet on the eve of Sanremo 1968 a dispute broke out that led to an irreparable break between the two artists. Don Backy accused the Clan of having "siphoned off" hundreds of thousands of record sales, reporting sales figures well below the real ones. Celentano retaliated by taking away "Canzone" – a song tipped to win – which Don Backy was meant to perform at Sanremo alongside Milva, and claimed it for himself.

Don Backy left the Clan and immediately founded his own label, Amico, named after his first hit and meant as a pointed reminder of the word "friendship" – which, in Don Backy's view, Celentano had trampled on. With his label he promptly recorded the two songs he was supposed to compete with at the Sanremo Festival: "Casa bianca" and "Canzone". The latter was released both in the Clan's version and in the one recorded for the new Amico label. The public sided with Don Backy: his version of "Canzone" shot forcefully to number one, outselling Celentano's own rendition. He then threw himself into a thoroughly forward-looking project, producing Italy's first long-playing concept album, featuring 12 new songs – each named after a month of the year – and called it "Le quattro stagioni di Don Backy" (today a genuine cult item, not least for its superb sleeve featuring 12 original lithographs by painter Mario Moletti).

In 1969 came the films "Satyricon" by Gian Luigi Polidoro and "Barbagia", once again directed by Lizzani. It was precisely during this period that Don Backy matured as a songwriter. From his pen came other excellent songs such as "Sogno", "Un sorriso" and "Frasi d'amore".

In 1971 he wrote, among others, the superb "Bianchi cristalli sereni", presented at that year's Sanremo Festival, and "Sognando", a challenging song about mental distress that record executives refused to let him record. He finally managed it in 1978, including the track in an experimental musical comedy in comic-strip form (another of his impromptu ventures), which also bore the title "Sognando". That same year, the song was also recorded – magnificently – by Mina.

His versatility also led him into the world of comics, where he published a few works, "L'Inferno" (1984) and "Clanyricon" (2002: a biting satirical comic-strip account of the Clan's adventures), in addition to the aforementioned "Sognando".

In the years that followed, Caponi published further books, took up painting, and kept making records, almost all conceived as cohesive concept works, objects of cult devotion for a small but devoted following.

(Gianni Vona)

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