SACRAMENTO 'ITALIAN STYLE'

Listen to the best of our Italian musical heritage each week with radio hostess Phyllis Cupparo and special guests. Phyllis is the producer of the Society’s Sunday radio show, ‘Sacramento Italian Style” and has compiled years of Italian and Italian-American music for our enjoyment. Specially themed shows are often broadcast, like during the holiday season, to enhance the listening experience.

Listen to SACRAMENTO ITALIAN STYLE Radio on Sundays at Noon 
on Cable Access Channel 18 / 
KUBU Radio 96.5

CLICK TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE ACCESS SACRAMENTO/KUBU RADIO WEBSITE: accesssacramento.org

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   SOCIETY RADIO SHOW PRODUCER PHYLLIS CUPPARO WINS '2022 RADIO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR'   

We are proud to announce that Phyllis Cupparo has won an award as 2022 Radio Producer of The Year 
from KUBU Radio station for her weekly broadcasts of The Society’s Italian American
Radio Show “Sacramento Italian Style.”  

Phyllis has been hosting the show for over 20 years.  Her dedication to the Radio Show and knowledge of the Italian American musical experience has been commendable. The award is well deserved.  

A major cultural event in the United States was the emergence of Italian American Music in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The “Italian Decade of American Music” spanned the years from 1947 to 1964.  In the summer of 1964, Dean Martins “Everybody Loves Somebody” overtook the Beatles #1 spot on the charts. It was a time when Italian American singers and their music became a mainstay of pop, rock, folk and opera. During the Rock and Roll era, a wave of talented Italian American Singers dominated the pop charts with sounds that became the standard on American jukeboxes and radio and provided the soundtrack of postwar America.

Italian Americans have created a musical legacy that endures and is a source of pride to Italian Americans.


The Italian-American Music Decade: 1947 - 1964

A major cultural event in the United States was the emergence of Italian-American Music in the 1940s ,1950’s and 1960’s.  During the rock and roll era, Italians and Italian language music were involved in more hit records than any other foreign language.  It was a time when a wave of talented Italian American singers dominated the pop charts with sounds that became the standard on American jukeboxes and radio and provided the soundtrack of postwar America.  It was a time when Italian-Americans entered mainstream American life and popular culture. From 1956 to 1959 – there were more Italian-American singers on the Billboard charts than at any time before or since. Italian-American singers won the hearts of the public with a smooth, stylish, classy brand of pop. These Italian-American singers had a kind of charisma not seen before. They sang with a passion that appeared casual and easy. They embodied the Italian idea of  - La sprezzatura- making hard work look easy.  Not only were they Italian-Americans but their songs were sung, in part, in Italian. Their music became a mainstay of pop, rock, folk and opera.

The Italian Decade of American Music spanned the years from 1947 to 1964. A time when Domenico Modugno, the Sicilian guitarist, wrote and sung “Volare” entirely in Italian which reigned as the number one chart topper for all of 1958 and won the first Grammy Award. When Connie Francis  (Concetta Franconero) made everyone weep to “Mamma” and Mario Lanza, “the American Caruso” brought an operatic voice to popular music and opened the doors for future tenors to come.  When Frank Sinatra became the first modern Singing idol and …Did it his way. Tony Bennetts ( Antonio Benedetto)  “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” is still a requested standard. A time when Dean Martin ( Dino Crocetti ) crooned “That’s Amore” in his warm, romantic style which remains one of America’s most played tunes. In the summer of 1964, Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody” overtook the Beatles #1 spot on the charts.

 

Italian-Americans have created a musical legacy that endures and is a source of pride to Italian-Americans. This musical heritage can be heard on Italian-American Radio Shows around the nation. In Sacramento listeners can tune in to the weekly Italian Radio Show – “Sacramento Italian Style”  every Sunday afternoon for their Italian and Italian-American favorites. You can also listen from anywhere, including your cell phone! Log on to Access Sacramento, then look for KUBU - from there click "The Voice" to hear the show! The Sacramento, Italian Style Show has been sponsored by the Italian Cultural Society  for over two decades and is hosted by Society Board member Phyllis Cupparo.