I Camaleonti ("The Chameleons") are an Italian pop group from Milan, mostly successful between the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
Background I Camaleonti were formed in 1963 in Milan. The original line-up included Livio Macchia (guitar), Antonino Cripezzi (keyboards), Paolo de Ceglie (drums) and Gerardo Manzoli (bass). In 1965 the band's line-up was augmented with the arrival of Riki Maiocchi on vocals and guitar. The band's first hit was called "Sha-La-La-La (La-La-La-La-La)", and coincided with the popularity of the beat genre.
In 1966, vocalist and guitarist Riki Maiocchi left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mario Lavezzi. With Lavezzi on board, the group gradually began to switch to a more melodic pop sound, soon achieving success with a modern rendition of a popular 1935 tune penned by Cesare Andrea Bixio and Michele Galdieri, "Portami tante rose".
Between 1968 and 1973 I Camaleonti had four singles topping the Italian charts, including "Applausi", "Io per lei" and "L'ora dell'amore". Between 1970 and 1993 they entered the Sanremo Music Festival five times, (the last time along with Dik Dik and Equipe 84's lead singer Maurizio Vandelli), finishing third in 1979 with "Quell'attimo in più". Despite numerous line-up changes. The band performed its final concert on 30 June 2025, with Livio Macchia and Dave Sumner, to celebrate the end of their career and the group's 60 years of activity.
Members Livio Macchia: vocals, guitar (1963–2025; died 2025) Antonio "Tonino" Cripezzi: vocals, keyboards (1963–2022; died 2022) Paolo de Ceglie: drums (1963–2004; died 2004) Gerardo "Gerry" Manzoli: bass (1963–1982) Dave Sumner: guitar (1969–2025) Riki Maiocchi: vocals, guitar (1965–1966; died 2004) Mario Lavezzi: vocals, guitar (1966–1968) Gabriele Lorenzi: keyboards (1967–1968) Vincenzo Mancuso: guitar, flute (1981–1984) Massimo Brunetti: keyboards, flute (1990–2024; died 2024)
Discography
Studio albums 1966 – The Best Records in The World 1967 – Portami tante rose 1968 – Io per lei 1969 – Vita d'uomo (EP) 1973 – I magnifici Camaleonti 1974 – Amicizia e amore 1975 – Piccola Venere ed altri successi 1976 – Che aereo stupendo… la speranza 1977 – In vendita 1979 – ...e camminiamo 1993 – Come passa il tempo e i più grandi successi 1996 – Libero 1997 – Applausi ed altri successi 2001 – 2001 ed oltre 2004 – 40 anni di musica e applausi 2006 – Storia 2010 – Camaleonti Live
References
External links