RIP Alfio Cantarella

 

Former drummer for Equip 84 died in Villafranca di Verona, Veneto, Italy on March 30, 2023. He was 81. Born in Biancavilla, Catania, Italy on July 19, 1941. As a boy Alfio Cantarella moved to Milan and in 1960 joined the ‘Marino’s’. The group, after merging with Francesco Guccini and Victor Sogliani’s Snakers, later became ‘I Gatti’. From the union of some elements of this complex and another Modena group, ‘Le Tigri’, a new formation was born in 1963 that Victor Sogliani, Maurizio Vandelli, Franco Ceccarelli and Alfio Cantarella decided to call themselves ‘Equipe 84’. The group debuted with the 45 rpm “Canarino va”, the anthem of the Modena football team and, after signing his first recording contract, made their debut on the Vedette label with two 45 rpm singles (“Papà e mammà” and “Now You Can Return”) in 1964. The year later, in addition to releasing five 45s, Equipe 84 released the eponymous debut album and in 1966 participated in the Sanremo Festival with “Un giorno tu mi cercherai”, which has on the back “L’antisociale”, written by Francesco Guccini. After the group’s first real success with “Io ho in mente te” and the album of the same name, followed by the album “Stereoequipe”, in 1970 Alfio Cantarella was found in possession of drugs and, due to the arrest, was forced to suspend his activities with the group. Once these problems had been resolved, in 1973 Cantarella returned fully to the line-up, which in the same year released the album “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Equip appeared and performed in the 1966 film “A Fistful of Songs” performing ‘Io ho in mente yu’ (I Have You in Mind).