Franca Raimondi

Franca Raimondi (8 July 1932 – 28 August 1988) was an Italian singer. Born in Monopoli, Province of Bari, Apulia, Raimondi studied operatic singing and foreign languages. In 1956, Raimondi was among the winners of a RAI contest of new voices and got the chance to perform at the 1956 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, she eventually won with the song "Aprite Le Finestre" ("Open the Windows"). In the same year she represented Italy in the first Eurovision Song Contest with the same song.Between 1956 and 1958 Raimondi was leading vocalist in the Gian Stellari Orchestra. In 1960 she entered the competition at the Festival di Napoli with the song "Canzone all'antica". In the later years she slowed her activities, focusing her career on live performances.