Lisa Hunt

Last updated
Lisa Hunt
Lisa Hunt 20120718 (cropped).png
Background information
Birth nameLisa Hunt
Origin New York City, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1980s–present
Labels
  • Polydor
  • Nature Beat Music
  • Phatgirl Records

Lisa Hunt is an American Byron Bay-based [1] soul singer. Hunt rose to fame in Italy as an associated act and backup singer of Zucchero Fornaciari, touring with him from the late 1980s until the 2000s. She has been particularly praised for her collaboration on Zucchero's fifth album Oro Incenso & Birra , and for her subsequent performance in Zucchero's first live album Live at the Kremlin , particularly for her solo in the song "Madre dolcissima". Hunt recorded several songs with Fornaciari, including "Something Strong", from the soundtrack album Snack Bar Budapest . She has released a total four albums, the first, A Little Piece of Magic, with Polydor. [2]

Contents

Although better known for her Funk, Soul and Rock style, Hunt also collaborated with several electronic dance music acts, and appeared on many house and electronic records. In January 2005, the single "The Joint is Jumpin'" featuring Hunt peaked at number 5 on the United States Billboard Dance Club Songs. [3] The single "Unity", a collaboration of John Rizzo, Hunt, and Wanda Houston, peaked at number 27 on the same chart in 2008.

Beside Zucchero, Hunt performed with Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, James Brown, Joe Cocker, Miles Davis, Macy Gray, Tina Turner, Bryan May, Dolores O'Riordan and Alen Vitasović. [4] [5] [6]

Hunt achieved fame and relative success in Italy, where she has been credited as "one of the most incredible voices of the past years." [7] In Italy, she is said to have performed one of the most intense interpretations of "Imagine". [6]

Early life

Hunt reportedly was born in the state of New York. [4] She began singing in the Afro American tradition of gospel music. [4] [8] She studied music at The City College of New York. [8] [4] At some point she moved to England, since she was discovered by Zucchero Fornaciari while singing in the street at Covent Garden, London, which is famous for its market and the street artists singing in the square. [6] [9] Zucchero met her fortuitously, in "a miraculous way." [6] He had lost his flight back to Italy, however, he ended up signing one of Italy's "most incredible voices in the past few years." [7] [9] After he came across her in Covent Garden, Zucchero observed her show for an hour, filming her with a handycam. [6] Fornaciari has stated "I met her fortuitously at Covent Garden, as she was singing in the street there, with people dropping coins for her... I approached her and said 'You are too good, you absolutely have to come to Italy.'" [10] [11] Fornaciari presented himself and asked Hunt if she would like to sing in his band, taking her phone number. [6] Within a month she was in Italy, appearing in Zucchero's videoclip of Con le mani the same month. [6] [9]

She toured with Zucchero as a backup singer and worked with him for over 15 years. [5] Hunt collaborated on Zucchero's fifth studio album Oro Incenso & Birra , and is best remembered for the single Madre dolcissima. She was also praised for her performance in Live at the Kremlin, Zucchero's first live album. Zucchero's was the first concert by an occidental artist in the Soviet Union after the fall of the wall.

In the 1990s, Hunt attempted for the first time to go solo. In 1989 she released "A Little Piece of Magic", which was released on January 12, 1990, in Italy. [6] Two songs in the album are collaborations with Zucchero. [6] Although in Italy she was chiefly known for her interpretations of songs by other artists, the album didn't contain her famous cover of Imagine, and it actually contained only one cover song across, namely "Lady Marmalade". Hunt has stated that she didn't want any covers at all in it, but the producers insisted to have at least one cover of a popular song in the album. [6] Two songs were composed by Zucchero, one, "In my secret heart", was composed by David Sancious. [6] "In my secret heart" features Manu Katché, bassist Pino Palladino and Zucchero. [6] Hunt went on to release three more albums: Can You Feel It (1997), Forever Soul (2000), and The Very Best of Forever Soul (2003). [2]

In 1999 she collaborated with American-born Australian singer Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel) on the song "Come Down," from Diesel's sixth studio album Soul Lost Companion . [12]

As of 2015, she reportedly sold a total of one million copies of her own CDs. [4]

Hunt has appeared on several records by British electronic dance music group Lovestation. She collaborated with several musicians in Australia and the United States. The single "The Joint is Jumpin'" featuring Hunt peaked at number 12 on the United States Billboard Dance Club Songs (January 8, 2005). [13] A remix of the song ("The Joint is Jumpin' - J. Budz/ Blueroom/ Twisted Dee & Jayito Mixes") peaked at number 5 on the same chart on January 22, 2005. [3] The song was featured on the TV series Queer as Folk .

John Rizzo's single "Unity", released in 2008 and featuring Hunt and Wanda Houston, peaked at number 27 on the United States Billboard Dance Club Songs. [14]

In addition to her participation in the soundtrack of Snack Bar Budapest in the 1980s (with "Something Strong" featuring Hunt and Zucchero), Hunt has contributed vocals to the soundtrack of HBO's Subway Stories , and collaborated on HBO's adaptation of Goodnight Moon , featuring Lauryn Hill and Susan Sarandon. [15]

Hunt has appeared in a number of off-Broadway musicals, including Dreamgirls , Robert Wilson's Medea [16] and Ballad for Bimshire by Susan Watson Turner. It has been stated that the ballad of the latter show was "stirringly delivered" by Hunt. [17]

Personal life

Hunt has stated that her favorite city "in Italy and in the world" is Venice. [9]

In February 2021 she was fined $5000 for "alleged COVID-19 breaches by patrons." [18]

In December 1989 she married an Australian rock guitarist in her native New York City. [6]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with chart positions
TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
ITA
A Little Piece of Magic—
Can You Feel It
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Nature Beat Music
  • Formats: Digital download, vynil, CD
—
Forever Soul
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Phatgirl Records
  • Formats: Digital download, vynil, CD
—
The Very Best of Forever Soul
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Phatgirl Records
  • Formats: Digital download, vynil, CD
—
List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
TitleDetailsPeak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[19] 		AUT
[20] 		BEL (FL)
[21] 		BEL (WA)
[22] 		FRA
[23] 		GER
[24] 		NLD
[25] 		SWE
[26] 		SWI
[27] 		UK
[28]
Snack Bar Budapest: Music from the Motion Picture [19]
(Zucchero featuring Lisa Hunt)
  • Released: 11 November 1988
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
14—————————
Oro incenso e birra
(Zucchero, with songs featuring Eric Clapton, Lisa Hunt, Jimmy Smith and others)
  • Released: 13 June 1989
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1———17—36501—
Live at the Kremlin
(Zucchero, with songs featuring Randy Crawford, Lisa Hunt, James Thompson and others)
  • Released: 4 November 1991
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
——————————
Spirito DiVino
(Zucchero, with songs featuring Clarence Clemons, Lisa Hunt, Sheila E. and others)
  • Released: 27 May 1995
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1—151441729—3—

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationAlbum
ITA
"Something Strong"
(featuring Zucchero)		1988— Snack Bar Budapest: Music from the Motion Picture
"Free Man"
(written by Hunt and Zucchero)		1989—A Little Piece of Magic
"A Little Piece of Magic"1989—A Little Piece of Magic
"Lady Marmelade (Radio Mix) (Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir?)"1990—A Little Piece of Magic
"Fires in the Rain"1990—A Little Piece of Magic
"I Gave You All This Love"1991—Non-album single
List of singles as featured artist and year released
TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationAlbum
US NLD
[38] 		AUS
"Madre dolcissima" [39]
(Zucchero featuring Lisa Hunt)		1990—49— Oro Incenso & Birra
"Love Come Rescue Me"
(Lovestation featuring Lisa Hunt)		1992———
"Love is Drug"
(Ekko featuring Lisa Hunt)		1994——22Non-album single
"The Joint is Jumpin'" [13] 200412——Non-album single
"The Joint is Jumpin' (J. Budz/ Blueroom/ Twisted Dee & Jayito Mixes)" [3] 20055——Non-album single
"Unity" [14]
(John Rizzo featuring Lisa Hunt and Wanda Houston)		200827——Non-album single

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zucchero Fornaciari</span> Italian musician (born 1955)

Adelmo Fornaciari, more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero, is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teacher used to call him. His music is largely inspired by gospel, soul, blues and rock music, and alternates between Italian ballads and more rhythmic R&B-boogie-like pieces. He is credited as the "father of Italian blues", introducing blues to the big stage in Italy. He is one of the few European blues artists who still enjoys great international success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narada Michael Walden</span> American musician

Narada Michael Walden is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy.

David Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on Human Touch (1992), Tracks (1998), and Western Stars (2019). Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and guitarist. He left the E Street Band in 1974 to form his own band, Tone, and released several albums. He subsequently became a popular session and touring musician, most notably for Stanley Clarke, Narada Michael Walden, Zucchero Fornaciari, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Jack Bruce, and Sting among many others. In 2014, Sancious was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Climie</span> British songwriter and producer

Simon Climie is an English singer-songwriter and producer. He is best known as the former lead singer of the UK duo Climie Fisher.

<i>Oro Incenso & Birra</i> 1989 studio album by Zucchero

Oro Incenso & Birra is the fifth studio album released by the Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari on 13 June 1989. As with his previous album Blue's, the album is credited to "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". Its title represents a pun on "oro incenso e mirra", the Italian for "gold, frankincense and myrrh", with mirra being replaced by birra, meaning beer.

<i>Fly</i> (Zucchero album) 2006 studio album by Zucchero

Fly is the tenth studio album by the Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari, released on 22 September 2006. The album was mostly recorded in 2006 at the Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood with producer Don Was, and previewed at the historic Ca' Vendramin Calergi in Venice, on 18 September 2006.

<i>Zu & Co.</i> 2004 compilation album by Zucchero

Zu & Co. is a compilation album by Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari released in 2004. With the exception of "Indaco Dagli occhi Del Cielo" and "Il Grande Baboomba", all songs have previously been recorded and released by Zucchero. For "Zu & Co." new versions of these songs were recorded with a selection of artists with whom Zucchero has performed during his career. It has been released in several editions, Italian, Spanish, French, Australian, Latin American, and International. The album has sold over a million copies worldwide and was one of the rare Italian albums which managed to enter the Billboard 200 (#84) chart, after its release in the United States in the summer of 2005 in partnership with the Starbucks Hear Music label and Concord Records. It topped the Billboards World Albums chart, where it charted for 27 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senza una donna</span> 1991 single by Zucchero and Paul Young

"Senza una donna" (IPA: [ˈsɛntsa ˈuːna ˈdɔnna]) is a song written and performed by Italian singer and musician Zucchero on his fourth album, Blue's (1987). Originally recorded in Italian, in 1990 it was re-recorded in English with English singer and musician Paul Young. The English lyrics were contributed by Frank Musker. The song was then released as a single under the title "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)".

<i>Miserere</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Zucchero

Miserere is the sixth studio album by Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari released in 1992 by Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baila morena (Zucchero song)</span> 2001 single by Zucchero and Maná

"Baila (Sexy Thing)" (sometimes known as "Baila Morena") is a song by Italian singer Zucchero. The song was first released as the lead single of his ninth studio album Shake, and it was highly popular in Italy and Spain, reaching #1 chart positions, but achieved moderate success in other countries. Zucchero also recorded an English language version for the single release. The song was later re-recorded in Spanish with the Mexican rock band Maná for the compilation album Zu & Co, but only reached chart success in 2006 due to its inclusion in the soundtrack of the film French Fried Vacation 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zucchero Fornaciari discography</span>

The discography of Zucchero, an Italian rock blues singer-songwriter, consists of 15 studio albums, one soundtrack album, seven compilation albums, two live albums and more than sixty singles. In 1993, Zucchero has also released a studio album with the band Adelmo e i suoi Sorapis, also including Equipe 84's Maurizio Vandelli and Pooh's Dodi Battaglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seed (2.0)</span> 2003 single by The Roots featuring Cody Chesnutt

"The Seed (2.0)" is the second single by The Roots from their fifth album Phrenology (2002). The track, which features Cody Chesnutt on the guitar and vocals, is an "uptempo retooling" of his song "The Seed" from the album The Headphone Masterpiece. The song's music video was nominated for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Jeff Vrabel of Billboard described the track as "a genre-bending mix of rock guitars and Prince-styled keyboards and drums".

<i>Blues</i> 1987 studio album by Zucchero

Blue's is the fourth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari. It was released on 15 June 1987, with Fornaciari credited as "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". The album sold over 1.3 million copies.

<i>Chocabeck</i> 2010 studio album by Zucchero

Chocabeck is the eleventh studio album by Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari released in 2010.

<i>Spirito DiVino</i> 1995 studio album by Zucchero

Spirito DiVino is the seventh studio album by the Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari, released on 27 May 1995 by Polydor Records. The album was also released in partial Spanish language edition, and English edition titled Spirito DiVino: Stray Cat in a Mad Dog City.

<i>Black Cat</i> (Zucchero album) 2016 studio album by Zucchero

Black Cat is the thirteenth studio album by the Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari, released on 29 April 2016. It's his first full-length studio album in six years, after Chocabeck in 2010, given that La Sesión Cubana (2012) was a mix of unreleased, previously released and cover songs.

<i>Shake</i> (Zucchero album) 2001 studio album by Zucchero

Shake is the ninth studio album by the Italian blues rock singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari, released on 14 September 2001. The album was mostly recorded in 2001 at The Plan Studios in Hollywood with producer Corrado Rustici, and previewed near Rovigo, on 9 September 2001.

Corrado Rustici is an Italian musician, songwriter and producer.

Michele Torpedine is an Italian record producer, television personality, drummer and music manager. He has been the producer of many renowned Italian artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero, and Il Volo, among many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamante (song)</span> 1990 single by Zucchero Fornaciari

"Diamante " is a 1989 song composed by Francesco De Gregori (lyrics), Zucchero Fornaciari, Mino Vergnaghi and Matteo Saggese (music) and performed by Zucchero Fornaciari.

References

  1. ↑ Nolan, Mandy (20 February 2013). "Who is Lisa Hunt?". Byron Shire Echo. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Lisa Hunt". Discogs. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Billboard 22 Jan 2005". Billboard. 2005. p. 28.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lisa Hunt con la band Magiche atmosfere di una voce gospel". L'Arena. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Lisa Hunt, l'ex corista di Zucchero stasera a Borgolavezzaro". La Stampa. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Putti, Laura. "Piacere, Lisa Hunt Finalmente Solista". Repubblica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 Milanese, Jimmy. "Lisa Hunt in concert: una vita per la musica R&B!". franzmagazine. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Lisa Hunt's Forever Soul". Jazz Pool. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Una voce che regala emozioni: Lisa Hunt in concerto stasera". Il Gazzettino. 4 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "Primo Incontro con Zucchero Fornaciari (link to a Youtube video of an excerpt of the episode)". broadcast. 1980s. Rai 1.
  11. ↑ Fornaciari, Zucchero (2011). Il suono della domenica. Mondadori. ISBN   978-8-852-02150-3.
  12. ↑ "Mark Lizotte – Soul Lost Companion". Discogs. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Billboard 8 Jan 2005". Billboard. 2005. p. 28.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  14. 1 2 "Unity John Rizzo Featuring Lisa Hunt & Wanda Houston". Billboard. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  15. ↑ "BioGraphy". Lisa Hunt's Forever Soul. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Medea : an opera by Gavin Bryars and Robert Wilson in a prologue and five acts[--New York open rehearsal 1982-03-04]. OCLC   79469814 . Retrieved 8 March 2021– via WorldCat.
  17. ↑ Brantley, Ben (12 December 1994). "IN PERFORMANCE; THEATER". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Music event series draws thousands in fines". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  19. 1 2 Italian Albums Chart: * For Rispetto: "Gli album più venduti del 1986" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011. * For Blue's and Oro incenso e birra: "Album – I numeri uno (1980–1989)" (in Italian). it-charts.140m.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011. * For Snack Bar Budapest: "Gli album più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011. * For Miserere: "Album – I numeri uno (1990–1995)" (in Italian). it-charts.140m.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011. * For Spirito DiVino, The Best of Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari's Greatest Hits and BlueSugar: "Album – I numeri uno (1995–2006)" (in Italian). it-charts.140m.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011. * For all the other albums: "Search for: Zucchero – Albums". italiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Suche nach – Zucchero – Albums" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Zoeken naar – Zucchero – Albums" (in Dutch). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Recherche pour – Zucchero – Albums" (in French). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  23. ↑ French Albums Chart: * For Oro incenso e birra and Miserere: "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – Z" (in French). www.infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2011.From the menu Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste & Appuyez sur OK :, select ZUCCHERO, then press OK. * For all the other albums: "Recherche – Zucchero – Albums" (in French). lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  24. ↑ "Discographie von Zucchero". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  25. ↑ "Zoeken naar – Zucchero – Albums" (in Dutch). dutchcarts.nl. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  26. ↑ "Search – Zucchero – Albums". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  27. ↑ "Suche – Zucchero – Albums" (in German). hitparade.ch. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  28. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Zucchero". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  29. ↑ "Musica: Consegnati a Zucchero 7 dischi di platino" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 11 January 1996. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  30. ↑ "Ma Puccini era un'altra cosa". L'Europeo (in Italian). No. 48. 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 4 March 2016. Perché quando i cantautori hanno provato (vedi Zucchero, per esempio) a conquistare sul serio anche loro il mercato ... (tre dischi di platino) e la Francia (400 mila copie per Oro incenso e birra), Norvegia (centomila copie), Gran Bretagna ...
  31. 1 2 "Edelmetall – Zucchero" (in German). hitparade.ch. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  32. ↑ Roberto Bianchin (24 June 1996). "Festivalbar, il sogno istriano". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  33. ↑ "French Certifications – Zucchero" (in French). SNEP . Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  34. ↑ "Certifications Albums Platine – année 1996" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  35. 1 2 "Album artist 635 – Zucchero Fornaciari". tsort.info. Steve Hawtin et al. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  36. ↑ "Biographie de l'auteur" (in French). Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  37. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996 Awards". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  38. ↑ "Dutch Charts – Singles – Zucchero" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  39. ↑ "Zucchero – Madre Dolcissima". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.