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Ernesto De Pascale

Ernesto De Pascale

Ernesto De Pascale was born in Florence, Italy on February the 13th 1958. He started making music in his early teens. In 1980 he joined Rai-Radiotelevisione italiana (The Italian National Broadcasting Corporation) as a disc jockey. In 1981 his first recording was an album of funky music with the band Lightshine which toured extensively for years. In 1983, after a long stay in the U.S. founded HypnoDance, a Rhythm & Blues band which recorded and toured regularly until 1990.

From 1982 to 1995 he was one of the leading voices of the most acclaimed and respected italian radio music show called "RaiStereoNotte" a nightly six hour long non commercial program which aired the best music from all over the world. In 1983 he co founded the most important Italian show for independent producers and bands called "Independent Music Meeting". In 1984 and 1985 he was called to help sharpen "Videomusic", the first all-music Italian television.

In 1987 and 1988 Ernesto co-operated as casting consultant to "DOC", the most important music related TV show of the Italian national service television, unmatched until today, by a Renzo Arbore idea, the most important italian TV personality and influential entertainer.

In 1989 Ernesto de Pascale wrote his first book, a Bessie Smith biography. Since then he has written three more books: one dedicated to the italian sixties scene, Mondo Beat, one to the correlation between soul and country music, Dove il Country e il Soul si Incontrano, and one which collect all of his interviews with the most important living bluesmen, The Blues and I.

In 1990 became consultant for Polygram Publishing, Sugar Music and Best Sound records. In 1991 he wrote the screenplay for a thriller movie called Il guanto nero. In the same year he won an award for the developing of soul music in Italy and one for the developing of the indipendent music scene. In 1992 he wrote his first fiction book, a collection of short stories called Parole di Notte Verso Casa.

Since 1993 Ernesto has been working for Controradio, the most important regional network of the Tuscany area with a very well acclaimed entertainment show called "Il Popolo del Blues" aired live every Saturday Night from 8 to 10 p.m. In the same year he joined the "On the road" festival in Pelago, near to Florence, with a special live project called " The Blues Corner ". In 1994 he began working for "Italia Radio", the most important all-news italian independent network with a nightly show called "Effetto Notte", co hosted with other famous "voices" of the " RaiStereoNotte " era.

In 1995 he hosted a series of music specials of Contemporary Blues on Rai and in 1996 became musical director of the Massa Marittima "Folk Blues Festival". In the same year he was called to join the latest and newest Rai-Radio 2 music show called "Suoni e Ultrasuoni". In 1997 he won an award for developing the new Italian Blues scene and another one by the official Elvis fan Club for the best radio show dedicated to Presley.

Since 1981 Ernesto De Pascale has produced more than 40 albums and helped the discovery and shaping of the hip hop band Articolo 31, has sold 600,000 of their album Cosi' Com'e (BMG/Best Sound, 1996).

Ernesto has been an actor making Cameo appearences in movies, Tv show and videoclips. He has composed film scores and soundtracks. He has been writing for all the major news and magazines like Rockstar, Il Mucchio Selvaggio, Lâ Espresso, Il Manifesto and many others since 1980 and still does, and he is a member of the italian journalist council; he also regularly conducts panels and conferences on various musical themes. He wrote liner notes for many artists and compiles various compilations.

He studied communications arts at Columbia University in New York in 1981 and is actually studying the legal aspects of the music industry.

Since 1995 he's been tracing a new geography of the italian blues scene with a collection of volumes called This Is My Story-Il Nuovo Blues in Italia. He's now writing a book on Alan Freed and the payola scandal. He lately participated with a long musical essay to a book on the Italian social events in 1968. He's also editing a second collection of short stories. Ernesto published a chronological history of the Italian Rock & Roll Scene (1956 - 1960) in 2000 for Pendragon books co. A CD tribute to Leadbelly and one dedicated to Fred Neil followed, as did a collaboration with New York's native Jono Manson.

A new radio show on Rai-Radio Uno has been announced for the next summer season after the great success of "Ghiaccio Bollente" daily radio show last summer. You can find his jazz reviews in www.allaboutjazz.com and now also in amazon.com

Il Popolo del Blues

Ernesto's reviews on All About Jazz

3 articles

List of articles in the library

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Fontella Bass: The Backpages Interview: Fontella Bass

Interview by Ernesto De Pascale, Rock's Backpages, 10 May 2002

With a series of gospel albums released in the last few years, Fontella 'Rescue Me' Bass is more alive than ever. Now she's on her ...

Big Brother & The Holding Company, Janis Joplin: Love, Sam

Retrospective and Interview by Ernesto De Pascale, Rock's Backpages, April 2001

On the eve of the premiere of off-Broadway show Love, Janis, Big Brother’s Sam Andrew remembers his friend and musical soulmate. ...

The Black Crowes: The Pride of Lions

Report and Interview by Ernesto De Pascale, Rock's Backpages, 8 September 2001

Their "funky gospel rock" may be out-of-fashion, but the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson is unrepentant. Ernesto de Pascale meets him as he entertains the faithful ...

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