Rocky Roberts

Rocky Roberts (born Charles Roberts, Tanner, 23 August 1940– Rome, 13 January 2005) was an American-born Italian rhythm and blues singer.

Rocky Roberts
Background information
Birth name	Charles Roberts
Born	23 August 1940 Tanner, Alabama, United States[1]
Died	(2005-01-14)January 14, 2005, (age 64)[2] Rome, Italy
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1960–2004

Born in Alabama, Roberts served in the United States Navy and was a Navy champion boxer. He first got interested in singing after listening to a country-oriented musician named Doug Fowlkes, whose band the Airdales (US-navy slang for Navy pilots) used to perform on the ship where Roberts was stationed. Fowlkes, impressed by Roberts' voice, eventually agreed to let him sit in with the band.[1]

Roberts won a singing competition while on shore leave in Juan-les-Pins, France, and chose to stay in Europe after retiring from the Navy in 1962.[2][1]

In 1965 Renzo Arbore and Gianni Boncompagni invited Roberts to Rome to record the theme of their Radio Show, Bandiera Gialla. The song, "T-Bird", was a hit in the Italian charts and Roberts settled in Rome.

In 1967, Roberts had a major Italian hit, "Stasera Mi Butto", which sold 3.7 million copies[1] and won the Festivalbar.[3] The song's success led to a 1967 motion picture of the same title, starring Roberts. He appeared subsequently in several other Italian films.

He was known for always wearing dark sunglasses.[2][1]

Roberts sang the Luis Bacalov-written theme song from the 1966 film, Django.[4] Quentin Tarantino reused the recording as the opening theme for his 2012 film Django Unchained.[5]

He died of lung cancer in Rome in 2005 at the age of 64.[2]