Alfie
Zappacosta

For more information, visit Alfie's web site.

Born in the small town of Sora, Italy (an hour south of Rome) in 1953, Alfie Zappacosta moved to Toronto with his parents when he was six months old. Deciding upon a music career in his teens, Zappacosta at first set his sights upon being a guitarist -until, his vocal prowess was uncovered. His recording debut came in 1979 as front man for the five-piece Toronto band Surrender. Releasing a self-titled album prompted radio airplay of "Find Your Way," "Turn Down The Mission" and "Buddy," the band went on the road, touring Canada to sell out crowds. In 1981, Surrender released a four-track EP called "No Surrender." The song "Start Again" became a staple of adult contemporary radio, and the simple honestly of "It's All Been Done Before" presented Zappacosta's undeniable songwriting and musical talents- launching a recording career that has spanned over 20 years.

In 1983, Zappacosta made a break from Surrender and went into the studio to record his first self-titled solo effort. "Zappacosta" was released in 1984, yielding the singles "Passion," a reprised version of "Start Again" and "We Should Be Lovers." Zappacosta's vocal talents were immediately apparent and in 1984, he accepted a Juno as "Most Promising Male Vocalist." 1985 saw him accepting new challenges and his portrayal of Che Guevaera in the hit musical "Evita," staged at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. He also added his voice to the "Tears Are Not Enough" African famine relief project.

In 1986, Alfie released "A-Z", his second solo album. In 1987, he created the song "Overload," which was written and performed exclusively for the soundtrack "Dirty Dancing" and Loverboy recorded Zappacosta's "That's Where The Money Goes" for their Wildside album. In 1988, he was awarded a Juno for "Album of The Year," an American Music Award for "Most Popular Album of The Year" and a Canadian Publishers Music Association's "Best Rock Star." Not resting on these accomplishments, 1990 saw Alfie and long-time cohort Gerry Mosby (The MOZ) back in the studio co-producing "Quick!...Don't Ask Any Questions".

1994 and '95 found Alfie in Edmonton and back in the theatre portraying the title role in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the lead role in "Hair." Falling in love with the quiet culture, he decided to re-locate his family and business to Edmonton. During the production of Hair, Zappacosta finalized a distribution agreement with Los Angeles based Sindrome Records. His 5th album "Innocence Ballet" was released in the United States. The singles "Orlando," "Show Me," "Lombard Street" "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Someone" were picked up by US radio stations.

In 2003, Alfie signed a multi-record deal with Marquis, and in 2004 he released "Start Again".

Photo: Ed Araquel