Born in
Tortona, Illiani started his musical career as a member of the band Wanted’s between 1962 and 1966. In 1968 he became guitarist in the
Gianni Morandi's backing band. In 1970 Illiani adopted the stage name Donatello and entered the competition at the
Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Io mi fermo qui", presented in a double performance with the band
Dik Dik. The same year Donatello got his first commercial success with the song "Malattia d'amore" which charted tenth on the Italian hit parade. Between
1971 and
1973 he entered the main competition at the Sanremo Music Festival three more times, always being a finalist. In the same years he got two top ten hits with the songs "Com'è dolce la sera" and "Ti voglio". After the 1974 single "Irene", which he presented at
Un disco per l'estate, Donatello left
Dischi Ricordi and started pursuing a more personal musical path, characterized by the recovery of traditional sounds. ==Discography==