Massimo Ranieri, famous Italian singer, and heart throb, will be performing a few shows in the US and Canada in June 2012.

He was the fifth of 8 children born in Naples in 1951 (Giovanni Calone).  He started his career in 1964, and had a brief stint in New York under the name of Gianni Rock, but it wasn't until 1969 when he finally became a huge success. Ranieri had a string of hits which prompted him as teen idol status, as all the girls would be screaming for him as he sang "O Sole Mio" live on RAI TV (Italian televison).

Later that year, he producted "Rita", "Se bruciasse la citta", "Quando l'amore diventa poesia", "Il mio amore resta sempre", "Rose rosse" and "Zingara".

He was out of the limelight for a while, and then in 1988 he made a comeback by recording "Perdere L'Amore".  This song helped him win Sanremo Festival that year, Italy's most prestigious music award.

If you have a chance to check out one of his concert shows below, you should really take advantage of the opportunity.