1960s In 1962, drummer Valerio Negrini and guitarist Mauro Bertoli established the band
Jaguars in Bologna, forming the nucleus of what would later become Pooh. In 1964, Jaguars consolidated its first stable line-up, composed of Negrini, Bertoli, vocalist
Vittorio Costa, bassist Giancarlo Cantelli, and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Bruno Barraco. In 1965, Costa left the band to pursue medical studies, while keyboardist Bob Gillot and rhythm guitarist Mario Goretti joined. In January 1966, the Jaguars signed a recording contract with Vedette, Armando Sciascia's record company. As the name Jaguars had already been taken by another band that had recorded a single, the group decided to adopt a new name. Sciascia's secretary, Aliki Andris, a fan of
Winnie-the-Pooh, suggested the name Pooh. In February 1966, Pooh recorded its first single, "Vieni fuori", a cover of "
Keep on Running" by the
Spencer Davis Group. At the end of April, keyboardist
Roby Facchinetti from Bergamo replaced Gillot. The band's first album, For Those Like Us, was released in late 1966. In April 1967, Vedette released the band's fourth single, "Nel buio"/"Cose di questo mondo". Shortly afterwards, Mauro Bertoli left the group following his marriage, and the band became a quartet. In April 1968, the group first entered the record charts with "Piccola Katy", originally the B-side of the single "In silenzio", which reached fifteenth place on the Italian hit parade. Following the release of their second album and a summer concert tour, Mario Goretti left the band in September 1968, returning to
Bologna where he later founded an amplifier company. This was despite the success of "In silenzio"/"Piccola Katy", in which he participated as guitarist. Goretti was replaced by Donato "Dodi" Battaglia, a sixteen-year-old guitarist from Bologna. He had been noticed by Enrico Marescotti during a local event where he performed an electric guitar solo by
The Shadows. A former member of
the Meteors, who also accompanied Gianni Morandi, Battaglia went on to play a significant role in Pooh's development. That same year, relations between Pooh and Vedette deteriorated following the release of their second album, Contrasto, in July 1968. The album was issued without the band's knowledge while they were on tour and was soon withdrawn from the market. The record largely contained audition recordings and discarded material, although it did include the successful single "Piccola Katy".
1970s In 1971, Pooh moved to
CBS, where they began working with producer Giancarlo Lucariello. The single "
Tanta voglia di lei" reached number one within two weeks. "
Pensiero" achieved the same result and sold over one million copies. Both singles also topped the South American charts, selling 450,000 and 1,200,000 copies respectively. In November 1971, the band released the album
Opera Prima. That year, Valerio Negrini left the group while continuing as a lyricist. He was replaced by drummer Stefano D'Orazio, who had previously played with I Naufraghi and Il Punto, the latter of which had appeared on the cover of
Ciao 2001, a leading Italian music weekly at the time. Some songs were recorded in English, such as "Tutto alle tre", adapted as "The Suitcase" for inclusion in a CBS compilation. "Tanta voglia di lei" also placed second at the
Festivalbar. In 1972, the band released "
Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima", backed with "Nascerò con te". CBS promoted both tracks equally, issuing the single as a double A-side. "Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima" was promoted on radio, while "Nascerò con te" was distributed to jukeboxes. Around this time, the band began using the
Minimoog synthesiser. The album
Alessandra marked a stronger vocal presence from Roby Facchinetti and included Dodi Battaglia's first credited composition. Under Lucariello's direction,
Alessandra was arranged with Franco Monaldi's orchestra and featured only love songs. Electric guitar was largely replaced by acoustic arpeggios. Soon after, Riccardo Fogli left to pursue a solo career, citing Lucariello's preference for Battaglia's vocals. In early 1973, bassist Red Canzian, formerly of Osage Tribe and Capsicum Red, joined the band. In 1973, Pooh released
Parsifal, which combined symphonic pop influences with Facchinetti's melodic style. The title track was notable for its extended instrumental second half. "Lettera da Marienbad" appeared as the B-side of "Io e te per altri giorni" and was included on the stereo 8 version of the album. In 1974, the compilation
I Pooh (1971–1974) was issued, while the albums ''Un po' del nostro tempo migliore
and Forse ancora poesia
followed in 1975. These albums featured symphonic arrangements, harpsichord, and long instrumental passages, but achieved only modest commercial success. "Ninna nanna", the single from Forse ancora poesia'', reached the top 10. Creative differences with Lucariello over orchestration led the group to begin self-producing, one of the first examples of this approach in Italy. In 1976, Pooh released
Poohlover, which included more direct arrangements and lyrics addressing social themes such as homosexuality, prostitution, and marginalisation. The singles "Pierre" and "
Linda" restored their chart success, with "Linda" reaching the top position. That year, the band marked its tenth anniversary with a concert in
Piazza San Marco, Venice. In 1977, Facchinetti, Battaglia, and D'Orazio, with Negrini on vocals, recorded a single under the name "Mediterraneo System". The band also contributed instrumental tracks to the television drama
La gabbia, including "Risveglio", which later featured in a kitchen advertisement. In the same year, Pooh began staging concerts in stadiums with elaborate lighting and stage effects. They also appeared on
Domenica in with Corrado. The single "Dammi solo un minuto" preceded the album
Rotolando respirando, their first release under
CGD. The album was initially remixed due to technical issues, with the final version completed at Stone Castle Studios in
Carimate. In 1978, the compilation
Pooh 1975–1978 was released, followed by the album
Boomerang.
Boomerang featured synthesisers and electric guitar while dispensing with orchestral arrangements. Successful tracks from this period included "Cercami", "Giorno per giorno", "Pronto buongiorno è la sveglia", "Classe '58", and "Il ragazzo del cielo (Lindbergh)". Around this time, the band adopted a new logo designed by Paolo Steffan. In early 1979, the single "Fantastic Fly" / "Odyssey" was released as part of the television series
Fantastic Tales, based on the works of
Edgar Allan Poe. Later in 1979, Pooh released
Viva, which sold over 700,000 copies. The single "Io sono vivo" remained on the charts for over 51 weeks, while "Notte a sorpresa", "Ultima notte di caccia", "Tutto adesso", and "In concerto" also became popular. "Io sono vivo" and "Notte a sorpresa" were among the first Italian singles to be promoted with music videos. Several songs from
Viva were later used in the 1979–1980 season of
Domenica in.
1980s In 1980, Pooh released
Hurricane, an album featuring English-language versions of their most popular songs from the previous three years, aimed at the international market. The record did not enter the American or British charts but was later issued in Italy, where it achieved gold certification. That same year,
... Stop was released, featuring the single "Canta ancora per te" (with "Stagione di vento" as the B-side) and tracks including "Inca", "Vienna", "Aria di mezzanotte", "Ali per guardare", and "Occhi per volare". In February 1981, the compilation
Pooh 1978–1981 was released, containing 12 songs, including two previously unreleased tracks: "Giorno per giorno" and "Tu sei tu, io resterò me". In September, the studio album
Buona fortuna appeared, featuring the summer single "Chi fermerà la musica", the title track, the autobiographical "Banda nel vento" (earlier released as a B-side), and "Dove sto domani". The video for "Chi fermerà la musica" showed the band members exchanging roles. In spring 1982, the group issued
Palasport, their first live album, recorded during their 1981 autumn tour. The double album included retrospective material from their first 15 years, along with two new songs performed on tour: "Canzone per l'inverno" and "Siamo tutti come noi". Later that year, the single "Non siamo in pericolo" (with "Anni senza fiato" as the B-side) was released. In 1983, Pooh recorded
Tropico del Nord at studios in
Montserrat, Caribbean. It was the first Italian LP released on compact disc, including an additional track, "Breakfast in New York". The album also featured "Solo voci", an a cappella piece inspired by the
Beatles' "
Because". Music videos were produced for several tracks, later compiled into the special ''L'anno del Tropico'', distributed on
VHS. No official singles were released, although multiple tracks were promoted domestically and abroad. After a large-scale tour, the band also performed in smaller venues during their "Club Tour 83", reviving earlier songs such as "Eleonora mia madre", "Infiniti noi", "Classe '58", and "La città degli altri". During these sessions, Roby Facchinetti composed material for his first solo album, Roby Facchinetti. In 1984, the band travelled to
Maui, Hawaii, to record
Aloha at George Benson's studio. The album included "Boys of the World", "Come si fa", and darker-themed tracks such as "Selvaggio" and "Il giorno prima", the latter addressing the threat of nuclear conflict. "La mia donna", arranged at Lahaina Studios, featured vocals shared by all four members and a solo by Dodi Battaglia. The use of the Fairlight synthesiser characterised much of the album's sound. The subsequent Italian tour introduced electronic drums played by Stefano D'Orazio, with performances opening to the synthesised sounds of "Selvaggio".
Rai broadcast a one-hour television special featuring videos filmed in Hawaii, later issued in 2003 as Pooh's first official
DVD. By the end of 1984, the band released
Pooh 1981–1984, a double compilation of 19 tracks, including nine previously unreleased on LP and seven unreleased on CD. In 1985, Dodi Battaglia released his first solo album, ''Più in alto che c'è
, which included a title track written with Vasco Rossi. That same year, Pooh recorded Asia non Asia'' in Japan, an album with a strong emphasis on synthesisers and electronic guitars. The song "Se c'è un posto nel tuo cuore", sung by Stefano D'Orazio, was used as the theme for
Il corso del lunedì, while "Se nasco un'altra volta" was promoted as the lead single and performed at the
Festivalbar. In 1986, Vedette issued the compilation ''C'è amore negli occhi tuoi''. To mark the group's 20th anniversary,
Giorni infiniti was released in 1986 on white vinyl. The album combined acoustic arrangements with contemporary technologies and featured a brass section led by Demo Morselli. Songs included "Terry B.", inspired by a 1985 Milan news story involving model Terry Broome, "C'est difficile mais c'est la vie", "Venti", and "L'altra parte del cielo", which reintroduced the
Hammond organ. That year, Red Canzian also issued his first solo album,
Io e Red. The band was honoured at the wax museum in Rome and appointed Knights of the Italian Republic. Their 1986 winter tour was released on a triple live album, followed in 1987 by another live album,
Goodbye. Also in 1987, the studio album
Il colore dei pensieri was released, featuring the ecological-themed "Acqua dalla luna" and "Dall'altra parte", a song reflecting on political change in the Soviet Union. In 1988,
Oasi marked the beginning of Pooh's collaboration with the
WWF. Songs such as "Nell'erba, nell'acqua, nel vento" addressed environmental concerns, while "Senza frontiere" focused on racial discrimination. Other tracks, such as "Che vuoi che sia" and "La ragazza con gli occhi di sole", reflected their melodic tradition. In 1989, Pooh released the instrumental maxi-single ''Concerto per un'oasi
in a limited edition, donating all proceeds to the WWF. That year also saw the release of the compilation Un altro pensiero''.
1990s The 1990s opened with one of the few achievements still missing from Pooh's career: winning the
Sanremo Music Festival in March 1990 with the song "Uomini soli". The band performed it with
Dee Dee Bridgewater, who later recorded an English-language version titled "Angel of the Night". At the end of the performance, Dodi Battaglia revealed that the group had unsuccessfully attempted to enter the festival twenty years earlier. Shortly afterwards, the album
Uomini soli was released, featuring tracks such as "L'altra donna" (written and sung by Battaglia), "Giulia si sposa" (written and sung by Stefano D'Orazio), and "Tu vivrai" (with contributions from Eros Ramazzotti, Umberto Tozzi, Raf, and Enrico Ruggeri). In December 1990, the double compilation
25: La nostra storia was released, followed by a theatre tour. In 1992, Pooh issued
Il cielo è blu sopra le nuvole, which included the singles "Maria marea", "50 primavere", "Stare senza di te", and "La mia faccia". This album marked the end of their collaboration with arranger
Fio Zanotti, which had begun in 1986 with
Giorni infiniti. The band stated in interviews that Zanotti had reused arrangements and sounds from their work in other projects. In 1993, internal tensions emerged when Canzian, Battaglia, and D'Orazio prevented Facchinetti from presenting the song "Vivrò" at
Sanremo. The track later appeared on Facchinetti's second solo album,
Fai col cuore. In 1994, Pooh released
Musicadentro, an album of new material arranged by Battaglia. It was largely recorded live in the studio to capture the group's energy. The CD was issued in a round metal box, reportedly inspired by
Public Image Ltd.'s
Metal Box. The singles "Le canzoni di domani" and "Cento di queste vite" were promoted with music videos. Despite these efforts, the album sold about 100,000 copies, making it their least successful release since 1971. Notable songs included "Dietro la collina", "Senza musica senza parole" (featuring lyrics structured with chain-linked phrases), and "Un leone nel cielo", a tribute by Battaglia to his father Medardo. In 1995, the group released their third live double album,
Buonanotte ai suonatori, which included a new title track. That December, the six-disc box set
Poohbook was issued, containing 86 tracks to celebrate their 30th anniversary. That year, Canzian published his first book,
Albero del bene e del male, while D'Orazio launched the fanzine
Poohnews, which provided updates and anecdotes about the band's activities. In 1996, Pooh returned to commercial success with Amici per sempre, featuring the singles "Amici per sempre", "La donna del mio amico", and "Cercando di te". The production was marked by internal disputes over arrangements and song choices, including a conflict regarding "Il silenzio della colomba", which was replaced with "Sempre in amore mai". At one point, Battaglia considered leaving the band and recorded separately from the others. Ultimately, the album's success, aided by arranger Emanuele Ruffinengo, prevented a split. In February 1997, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore published the band's first official biography,
Quello che non sai, written by journalist Franco Dassisti. In November, the double anthology
The Best of Pooh was released, including 28 hits and two new songs: "Brava la vita" and "Non lasciarmi mai più", the latter becoming particularly successful. In 1998, the compilation ''Un minuto prima dell'alba'' was issued, the first of six discs in the Poohbook box set released between 1993 and 1995. That year, the group re-recorded several of their 1960s tracks with updated arrangements, including "Brennero 66", "E dopo questa notte", and "La solita storia". In 1999, Pooh released
Un posto felice, featuring singles such as "Dimmi di sì", "Se balla da sola", and "Mi manchi". These songs received strong airplay, allowing the band to appear at the Festivalbar and perform in large venues. "Dimmi di sì", written by D'Orazio, stood out for its
Eurobeat-influenced style. That summer, the final concert of their tour, held in
Arezzo, was broadcast by
Mediaset and later issued on VHS. Mediaset had previously broadcast their 25th anniversary concert in 1991, performed at the
Arena Garibaldi in Pisa, which concluded the "25 Summer Tour: La nostra storia".
2000s The new millennium opened with the release of
Cento di queste vite (2000), which marked a return to the sound of the 1970s. Several singles were issued from the album, including "Resto con te", "I respiri del mondo", "Un grande amore" and the closing track "Mi senti ancora", a song dedicated to a fan who had died in a car accident, featuring an extended instrumental coda. In 2001, to celebrate their 35th anniversary, Pooh released the collection
Best of the Best, presented in two versions: a double CD and a single CD, the latter including a live track from the
Cento di queste vite tour. Both versions contained three new songs. "Portami via", written by Red Canzian, served as the lead single. "E arriverà", a ballad composed by Dodi Battaglia with lyrics by Stefano D'Orazio, was also included, though it received little radio attention. The third new track, "Figli", anticipated the group's forthcoming musical project. In 2002, Pooh began work on a stage musical directed by
Saverio Marconi. Initially, Roby Facchinetti had developed music for an original story centred on a messianic character, Gabriel, but the group eventually chose to adapt
Pinocchio, one of the world's most widely read books. The project led to the release of the album
Pinocchio (2002), containing 11 songs suitable for performance outside the musical. Staged by Compagnia della Rancia, the production became one of the most successful Italian musicals of the period and premiered at the newly built
Teatro della Luna in
Assago, near Milan. The album was well received by critics, though its sales were lower than previous releases. The lead single was "Il Paese dei Balocchi", followed by "Voglio andare via", "Vita" and "Un vero amico". In 2003, the cast recording
Pinocchio – Il grande musical was released as a double CD, performed by the musical's actors and musicians, with Pooh contributing only limited parts, including Dodi Battaglia's acoustic guitar on "Vita". That year, Battaglia also released the instrumental album ''D'assolo
, featuring guest appearances by Franco Mussida and Maurizio Solieri. The same year saw the release of Aloha'', the group's first DVD, containing restored footage of their 1984 Hawaiian stay and promotional clips. In February, Pooh received the "Musica e solidarietà" award from the band
Nomadi for their involvement in Rock No War initiatives. During the early 2000s, Pooh gained renewed popularity among younger audiences, in part due to references in the sitcom
Camera Café, where the character Paolo Bitta (played by
Paolo Kessisoglu) was portrayed as a devoted fan. The band made guest appearances in four episodes. In 2008, Pooh embarked on a tour organised by Milano Concerti, affiliated with
Live Nation. That year and the next, they also contributed to several collaborative projects: they reinterpreted "Piccola Katy" with
Neri per Caso on
Angoli diversi; recorded "Eternità" with
Ornella Vanoni for her album
Più di me; and worked with
Claudio Baglioni on a rearranged version of "Che begli amici" for his project
Q.P.G.A. (2009). In April 2009, the group announced the release of the double album
Ancora una notte insieme, which appeared on 8 May, followed by a tour that began in July at the
Royal Palace of Caserta. During the tour, drummer Stefano D'Orazio announced his decision to leave the group after 38 years. The tour expanded from its initial four dates to 38, concluding with two performances at the
Mediolanum Forum in Assago. The second concert was broadcast live on
RTL 102.5 and covered on television, including live links to
X Factor on
Rai 2. From 1 October 2009, Pooh continued as a trio consisting of Facchinetti, Battaglia and Canzian. That year, the videoclip for "Ancora una notte insieme", directed by Andrea Falbo and Andrea Gianfelice, won a Special Prize at the Italian Videoclip Awards. On 26 November, the band's career was chronicled in
I nostri anni senza fiato, published by Rizzoli.
2010s In February 2010, Pooh announced
Aladin, a musical written by Stefano D'Orazio with music composed in collaboration with his three former bandmates. Work on the project had begun before D'Orazio's departure from the group. On 5 March, a DVD of the band's final concerts with him, recorded in Assago on 28 and 30 September 2009, was released. At a press conference on 3 March 2010, Pooh confirmed that they would continue as a trio with Roby Facchinetti, Dodi Battaglia and Red Canzian. The three had already performed two concerts at the
Fallsview Casino near
Niagara Falls, Canada. The group announced that they would be joined on drums by session musician
Steve Ferrone, known for his work with
Eric Clapton, the
Bee Gees,
Tom Petty and
George Harrison. Ferrone played on the album
Dove comincia il sole, released on 12 October 2010. Its title track, a rock suite divided into a six-minute vocal section and a five-minute instrumental, was compared to earlier Pooh works such as
Parsifal and
…Dimmi di sì, donna, città. On the
Dove comincia il sole tour, Pooh were joined by Ferrone, guitarist Ludovico Vagnone, and keyboardist/arranger Danilo Ballo. The tour began on 23 November 2010 in
Rimini and continued until summer 2011, with further concerts in Italy and abroad through early 2012. From 2011, Ferrone was replaced by Phil Mer, son of Red Canzian's wife. The tour drew about 500,000 attendees in total, with many concerts sold out. On 29 April 2011, the three members performed alongside D'Orazio on the television programme
Ciak… si canta! from
Naples. On 11 October 2011, the group released
Dove comincia il sole Live – 27 agosto 2011 – Castello di Este, available as a double CD, double DVD, and a deluxe edition with additional content. Later that month they performed at Niagara Falls with the World Rock Symphony Orchestra of Toronto, followed by a concert in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the Classic FM Orchestra. In March 2012, Pooh released
Pooh Legend, a box set curated by Andrea Pedrinelli, including four DVDs and four books. In October 2012, they announced
Opera seconda, an album recorded with the Ensemble Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giacomo Loprieno, followed by a theatre tour. On 3 January 2013, founding member and lyricist Valerio Negrini died of a heart attack while on holiday in
Trentino. Later that year, Pooh continued their
Opera seconda tour, performing in Italy, Canada and the United States. On 29 October, they released
Pooh Box, a set dedicated to Negrini containing live CDs and DVDs, a graphic novel illustrated by Gianni D'Angelo, and two tribute CDs featuring Italian voice actors. The tour recorded over 150,000 attendees across nearly 100 performances.
Reunion and retirement On 28 September 2015, Pooh announced a 50th anniversary reunion with D'Orazio returning on drums and Riccardo Fogli rejoining as vocalist. The project included seven large-scale concerts: two at
San Siro in Milan, one at the
Stadio Olimpico in Rome, one at the
Stadio San Filippo in Messina, and three at the
Verona Arena. A triple album and live DVD from the Milan concerts were also announced, along with a nationwide arena tour. Five-part vocal arrangements of earlier songs such as "Pensiero", "Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima", "Chi fermerà la musica", "Piccola Katy", and "Pierre" were released, together with four new songs: "Tante storie fa", "Le cose che vorrei", "Ancora una canzone" and "Traguardi". These were included on the triple live album ''Pooh 50 – L'ultima notte insieme'', released on 16 September 2016. On 30 December 2016, Pooh concluded their career with a final concert at the
Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, broadcast live in cinemas, on television and on radio. They briefly reunited on 6 June 2017 at the
Verona Arena for the
Wind Music Awards. In July 2017, the box set
Trilogia (1987–1990) was released on CD and vinyl, containing
Il colore dei pensieri,
Oasi,
Uomini soli, and a bonus disc from
Live in Milan (1990), along with a 60-page booklet. On 23 November 2018, the triple album and DVD ''Pooh 50 – L'ultimo abbraccio'', recorded at their farewell concert, were released. On 6 November 2020, D'Orazio died following complications related to
COVID-19, after a week of hospitalisation.
Second reunion In April 2023, the surviving members reunited to mark the group's 55th anniversary and released a new single, "Amici per sempre". ==Discography==