Gianni Pettenati, author and singer of the song “Bandiera gialla” dies

The world of music mourns the passing of Gianni Pettenati, who died at the age of 79 in his home in Albenga.

“In his own home, as he wanted, with his loved ones nearby,” the woman wrote, “with the love of his children Marialaura, Samuela and Gianlorenzo and his beloved cat Cipria, after a long and exhausting illness, dad left us. We have never stopped loving you. We hug you tight.” The funeral will be celebrated privately, reserved for family members.

The career of an iconic singer-songwriter

The success of Gianni Pettenati exploded in 1966 with the famous song “Yellow flag“, the Italian version of “The Pied Piper” by the group Crispian St. Peters. The song, written by Alberto Testa, Nisa, Steve Duboff and Artie Kernfeld, also marked a golden age on the radio and television front, thanks to the program of the same name hosted by Gianni Boncompagni and Renzo Arbore.

Over the course of his career, Pettenati released other hit songs including “Come una pietra che ruota”, the Italian version of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”, and “La tramontana”, which came in fifth place at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival when performed by Gianni Pettenati and Antoine.

A multifaceted contribution to culture

In addition to music, Gianni Pettenati has distinguished himself as a music critic, writer and playwright. Among his best-known works are essays such as “Quelli eran giorni – 30 anni di canzoni italiane” in collaboration with Red Ronnie, “Gli anni '60 in America”, “Mina come sono”, “Io Renato Zero” and “Alice is leaving”.

In 2014, Pettenati also embarked on a political journey by running for city councilor of Albenga on the Lega Nord list, in support of the outgoing center-right mayor Rosy Guarnieri. “There is a time for everything,” he declared. “Albenga is a beautiful city, which with all of our help can become beautiful.” The May 2014 municipal elections saw the victory of the center-left candidate Giorgio Cangiano.