Roberto Ciotti


Roberto Ciotti was an Italian blues musician, composer and guitarist.

Life and career

Ciotti was born in Rome. He began playing the guitar at the age of 12. From 1970 to 1972 he was a member of the jazz band Blue Morning, then he started a career as a sideman, collaborating with Chet Baker, Francesco De Gregori and Edoardo Bennato, among others.
His debut solo album, Supergasoline Blues, was released in 1978. In 1980, he opened for Bob Marley during the reggae artist's Italian leg of his tour. In 1989 Ciotti got critical and commercial success when he scored the soundtrack of Gabriele Salvatores's Oscar winning film Marrakech Express. Ciotti and Salvatores would collaborate again two years later in On Tour. After the 2002 album Behind the Door Ciotti devoted himself mainly to live gigs. In 2006 he published his autobiography, Unplugged, in which he recounted the difficulty of staying true to the spirit of the blues without succumbing to the lure of show business and easy money.
Ciotti died, aged 60, following a long illness, on December 31, 2013.

Discography

Album