Patty Pravo in concert in Rome, Italy February 10, 2014

The former “Girl of the Piper Club”, Patty Pravo, sang to a sold-out audience in Rome’s Auditorium theater.

Italian singer Nicoletta Strambelli, Patty Pravo’s real name, played in front of a sold-out audience in Rome’s Auditorium theater.  The 65 year-old Venetian-born singer is still the undisputed queen of Italian pop music, right behind another incredible icon of Italian music, Mina.

Pravo’s very first single dates back to 1966, “Ragazzo Triste” (Sad Boy), which she again sang in Rome.  In an incredibile career that now spans close to 50 years, Pravo has appeared eight times at Italy’s famous yearly song contest, the “San Remo Festival”.

Pravo’s illustrious musical past had also included meeting the likes of American poet Ezra Pound and Angelo Roncalli (better known to the entire world as Pope John XXIII).  Her connection with Rome’s legendary Piper night club dates back to her very early career when at age 15 she left home to live in London and then in Rome where she began her musical career at the famous night club.  Her first single “Sad Boy” was the Italian version of Sonny & Cher’s “But You’re Mine” and was actually broadcast on Vatican Radio.

Given the recent death of another great singer, Lou Reed, Pravo also sang in Rome “I Giardini di Kensington” (The Kensington Gardens), a cover version of Reed’s famous “Walk On The Wild Side”.  Pravo was backed-up on stage by a six-piece band.