Wess
Wesley Johnson known by his stage name Wess was an American-born Italian singer and bass guitarist, perhaps mostly known for representing Italy along with Dori Ghezzi in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 in Stockholm, Sweden, placing third. He formed a successful duo with Ghezzi and achieved some hits in Italy, such as "Voglio stare con te", "Come stai? Con chi sei?" and "Un corpo e un'anima". Wess also was a singer and played bass guitar for the soul-funk band Wess & The Airedales in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Originally from North Carolina, Wess moved to Italy in the 1960s in pursuit of a musical career. Wess died in New York during his United States tour when a breathing crisis led to his death. He was the father of UK-based R'n'B singer Romina Johnson, who often accompanied him as a backing singer.
In its Winter 2018 issue, Oxford American magazine published an essay about Johnson's life as a young performer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and how his earliest experiences affected his career in Italy
