Music

In 1958 Raoul Casadei made his official debut in the Orchestra in Bussecchio in the province of Forlì and the following year he wrote his first song for the Orchestra, entitled San Marino Goodbye. This song was part of the famous ‘Songs Cartolina’, dedicated to the tourist destinations of the Riviera Romagnola: Looking at you in Cesenatico, Back to Rimini, Milano Marittima, Cattolica silver beach and so on. These songs became the soundtrack of the Italian holidays and contributed significantly to the new success of the Orchestra, succeeding in speaking to the new generations.

It was the 70s, Italy of the economic miracle. Raoul Casadei, in a period where the countryside spopulated in favour of cities with factories, manages to transform the smooth from rural music to urban and national phenomenon, preserving its Italian roots. In 1970 the first participation in the Festivalbar, out of race, but it is only the beginning.
In 1973 he returned to the Festivalbar with the song Hello Sea coming to the 3rd place in the famous popular musical pleasure race and marks its consecration. In Italy of the boom of color television and mass tourism, Ciao Mare becomes a summer hymn, an extraordinary success, selling over 500,000 vinyl copies formed 33 laps. His songs perfectly captured the climate of carefreeness of the time, celebrating the seaside life and Italian traditions, consolidating Raoul as the symbol of an Italy on holiday and launching tourism towards the Romagna beaches.

1974 — Orchestra Casadei at Festivalbar During the rehearsals of the XII Festivalbar, the Orchestra Casadei places on the stages of the Arena di Verona. A historical moment in one of the temples of Italian music. Family Archives Photos

Raoul Casadei consolidates its popularity to the point to participate in 1974, at the Sanremo Festival with the song The Song. Although the song does not arrive in the final, the artist continues to stand out in other prestigious events and in 1975, arrives at the final of A record for summer’, in the wake of unforgettable songs Sympathy, The Mazurka of Periphery and Romagna and Sangiovese and of course Romagna.

With the advent of disc music, between stroboscopic lights and electronic sounds, Raoul Casadei decides to remain faithful to his musical roots and thus becomes the absolute protagonist of the era of the "Febbre del Liscio". Hundreds of whales emerge, especially in Northern Italy: it is a real boom of dance halls that create thousands of jobs, becoming real temples of the popular tradition where you dance every night of the week. The success of Casadei continues without pause, so as to accompany the arrival of the stages of the Giro d’Italia of 1976 on a spectacular Ship on Wheels from where his Orchestra played while people demanded songs and danced on the balconies of the house.

In 1977 Raoul Casadei realized his great dream: the construction of Ca’ del Liscio, a real temple of popular music. With an area of 3,000 square meters, 500 tables, 5,000 seats, 20 offices and a capacity of 8,000 people, this immense balcony at the gates of Ravenna becomes the Cathedral of the Liscio and Raoul its King. The Orchestra at that time will perform up to 380 times a year, with double concerts on weekends, afternoons and evenings, demonstrating an extraordinary vitality and recognition.

In the 1980s, Casadei maintained its audience, evolving the Liscio in a popular and intergenerational alternative. The sounds of the clarinet in Do give way to the Mediterranean guitars and the Moog synthesizer, beginning the era of Solar Music. In Italy of "Drive In", oversize shoulder straps and DJs, the Liscio is a form of entertainment for the whole family. It is the time of the great TV shows and among the initiatives symbol of this period the Ship of the Sun, a floating disco, designed to bring on the Riviera all the energy of the Romagna tradition. With melodies that speak of fun and genuine values, Casadei continues to speak to the heart of the people.

In the 1990s Italy lived the first effects of globalization and cultural homologation. Raoul Casadei with his hit Romagna Capital continues to underline the importance of the roots, reaffirming the cultural identity of Romagna and Italian, but also understands the importance of opening up to modern and global influences to innovate once again and make contemporary the Romagna Liscio. He was born in Riccione in 1998 Balamondo, a festival designed to celebrate music as a universal language, a meeting point between musical cultures where the Romagna tradition is contaminated with genres such as jazz, reggae, pop, country, blues and ethnic music from around the world. Sigla of this festival a four-handed song with the King of Mambo Tito Puente. Among international guests Gloria Gaynor who delighted the audience with a magical version of Romagna.