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Michele Scommegna, known professionally as Nicola di Bari, was born on September 29, 1940, in Zapponeta, Apulia, Italy. He moved to Milan and later to Caracas, Venezuela, working various jobs before returning to Italy. In 1961, he adopted the stage name Nicola di Bari and won a song contest with "Piano pianino". His breakthrough came in 1970 at the Sanremo Music Festival with "La prima cosa bella", reaching second place. This success led to hits like "Vagabundo" (1970) and "Una ragazzina come te" (1970). Nicola Di Bari won the Festival de la Canción de San Remo in 1971 with "Il cuore è uno zingaro" and in 1972 with "I giorni dell'arcobaleno", both presented at the Eurovision Song Contest. Throughout the rest of the 1970s he released successful singles and LPs while starring on variety programs and cinema soundtracks, and he cultivated a parallel career in Spanish with adaptations that connected him strongly to audiences in Spain and across Latin America. Later decades brought frequent touring, anthologies, and new studio sessions that kept his catalog in circulation for new listeners, while legacy reissues confirmed his status as a leading voice of the classic Italian canzone.
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