Riccardo Cocciante

Riccardo Cocciante (born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante, is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Cocciante was born on 20 February 1946 in Saigon, French Indochina, now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to an Italian father from Rocca di Mezzo, L'Aquila, and a French mother. At the age of 11, he moved to Rome, Italy, where he attended the Lycée français Chateaubriand. He has also lived in France, the United States, and Ireland. Cocciante began achieving success as a musician around 1972. In 1976, he covered the Beatles song "Michelle" for the musical documentary All This and World War II. That same year, he released his sole English al...