Nomadi (or I Nomadi, meaning "Nomads") is an Italian band formed in 1963 and still present on the music scene.
Origins
In 1961 Beppe Carletti and Leonardo Manfredini formed the group I Monelli (‘Urchins’). In 1962 Carletti met Franco Midilli, guitarist of the group Novellara, who joined them in Monelli. In 1963 Franco Midilli introduced Augusto Daolio to Beppe Carletti and he too joined the group. In that year the band’s name was changed to Nomadi.
I Nomadi of Augusto Daolio
I Nomadi sprung from one of the most fervent periods of the Italian music scene: the sixties. In those years an economic boom revealed an Italy economically enriched but already socially impoverished. Tens, if not hundreds, of groups appeared and disappeared attempting to express the voice of a youth who felt repressed by a society still permeated with antiquated conventions.
The original 1963 formation of six was founded in Reggio Emilia: Augusto Daolio (vocals), Beppe Carletti (keyboards), Franco Midili (guitar), Leonardo Manfredini (drums), Gualtiero Gelmini (sax), Antonio Campari (bass). In the same year Nomadi were signed by Frankfurt Bar in Riccione.
Franco Midilli had to leave the group that summer for compulsory military service. As often happens, the lineup changed frequently: in 1964 Madfredini left after the death of his parents; so did Campari and Gelmini, who were replaced by Gabriele ‘Bila’ Copellini on drums and Gianni Coron on bass.
In 1965 they released their first 45", featuring the song "Donna, la Prima Donna" ("Woman, the First Woman") and "Giorni Tristi" ("Sad Days") with the collaboration of De Ponti and of Odoardo Veroli (known as Dodo) as writer and composer.
Their first hit was 1966's "Come potete giudicar" (How Can You Judge, which was actually the cover of Sonny Bono's "The Revolution Kind"), anthem of the Italian beat generation, which exemplifies the clash between hippies and conservatives. In the wake of this success i Nomadi came into contact with a young and then unknown writer, Francesco Guccini, who would go on to give them other successes: "Noi non ci saremo" ("We Won't Be There"), "Dio è morto" ("God is Dead"), "Canzone per un'amica" ("Song for a Friend").
Their great success continued in the following years. Hits included "Io Vagabondo" ("I, Vagabond"), "Un pugno di sabbia" ("A Fistful of Sand"), "Un giorno insieme" ("One Day Together"), "Tutto a posto" ("Everything Settled"), "Voglio ridere" ("I Want to Laugh").
I Nomadi's political commitment is particularly evident in some songs such as "Primavera di Praga" ("Prague Spring"), written by Guccini and dedicated to Czech student Jan Palach.
