Brunetta / Mara Pacini
Our pick of the pops
Brunetta – with or without her Balubas – is a name that few Italians know, which is a shame as the singer recorded some great material, under various guises, including her real name, Mara Pacini.
She was born Mara Pacini and enjoyed singing from an early age. She also showed quite a talent for music, having mastered the piano, guitar, saxophone and organ.
Her big break into the world of show business came when she appeared in the 1960 film musical Urlatori alla sbarra, alongside established stars such as Mina and Adriano Celentano.
In 1963, she was offered a recording contract with the Primary label. However, her first single, issued in the summer of that year, put her firmly on a hiding to nothing. Her Quelli della mia età was a version of Françoise Hardy’s Tous les garçons et les filles, and was trounced by the French star’s own translation of the song, which she took to the top of the Italian charts.
Not one to learn a lesson, Mara released another Françoise Hardy tune as the follow up, this time È all’amore che penso, a version of C’est à l’amour auquel je pense. But yet again, it was the French singer who scored a top ten hit with the song.
For her third release, Mara opted this time for an Italian original, Uffa.
Baluba shake
1966
Solo per poco tempo
1967
Mai più ti cercherò
1966
Follow the links to hear other singers’ versions of Brunetta songs
Perdono
Caterina Caselli: Perrdono
C’è qualcosa che non va was became her first single of 1964. Sadly, it also proved her last, as the record label lost interest in her.
However, there was no doubting her talent, and she chose to reinvent herself rather than give up. Under the name Brunetta she teamed up with the Balubas for the fantastic Baluba shake, issued in 1966. The song, though not a hit, became a favourite on the mod scene and is, arguably, one of the finest Italian beat records of the 1960s.
Cover cuts
Felicità felicità
1968
Il secondo giorno
1966
Brunetta e i suoi Balubas issued one further single, Perdono – but again lost out in a sales war to beat babe Caterina Caselli – before Brunetta went it alone.
Ironically, for her first solo release, she opted for the Caselli-esque Mai più ti cercherò, which was released in late 1966.
The following year she issued the excellent Solo per poco tempo as a single, which featured Dove vai?, a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood’s Summer wine, on the B-side, and an album.
She issued one further single, in 1968, straying into Patty Pravo territory with the catchy Felicità felicità, under the name Brunetta and the Sounds, before disappearing into obscurity.
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Various artists
Le beat bespoke 2
