From a musical family, his father was a big band musician. Gino Vannelli played drums at a young age and after finishing high school studied musical theory at McGill University.
In the late 60s, he signed to RCA Canada under the name Van Elli. He eventually went to Los Angeles, California where he signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records after chasing Alpert down in the parking lot of A&M Studios. He released his first album with that record label in 1973. Gino's brother, Joe, served as arranger and keyboardist for most of his recording career. At a time when polyphonic synthesizers were non-existent, Joe overdubbed multiple parts to create a texture of sound that was largely progressive for the early 1970s. Gino's 1978 song, "I Just Wanna Stop," written by his brother Joe, earned him an American Grammy Award nomination and reached #4 on the Billboard charts and #1 in Canada. He won Canada's Juno Award for Best Male Artist in 1976 and 1979. Also, Gino and Joe Vannelli shared the Juno Award for Recording Engineer of the Year three times: in 1986 for "Black Cars," in 1987 for "Wild Horses"/"Young Lover," and in 1991 for "The Time of Day"/"Sunset on L.A.". Gino is also noted for being the first Caucasian singer to appear on Soul Train in 1974.
Vannelli's other hits include "Living Inside Myself" (1980) and "Wild Horses" (1987).
In 1990 Gino recorded the album 'Inconsolable man' and toured extensively for the first time in well over a decade. His 'Live in Montreal' album was released in 1991.
In 1993, Québécoise singer Martine St. Clair recorded "Wheels of Life" as a duet with Vanelli as well as a French-language version called "L'Amour Est Loi".
It was some 4 years since his last 'Live' album before Gino released one of his best albums ever, the heavily jazz influenced album 'Yonder Tree'. Issued in 1995 the album received rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
Never one to stand still in terms of style, Gino subsequently released his 'Slow Love' album in 1998. A collection of beautifully crafted romantic songs, slightly more MOR than his previous album.
We had to wait until 2003 for the release of Gino's 'Canto' album. A collection of classical and operatic songs which exemplified his compositional skills as well as his incredible voice. With a symphonic Orchestra he sings in English, Spanish, Italian and French. This album reflected an artist freed from the shackles of commerciality and one able to concentrate on just the music. The result was acclaimed around the world and proved particularly successful in Europe. From the album, Parole Per Mio Padre" (Words For My Father), was so loved by Pope John Paul II that Gino performed the song live at the Vatican in a televised event.
In 2006 Gino released a best of album but again not one to follow the norm, this album entitled 'These are the Days' contained many of his previously best known songs together with 7 completely new pop songs.
He has since released four more albums, the latest of which was released in 2019.
Gino now lives in Oregon with his family where he actively teaches music. He continues to perform across the country today.
Gino Vannelli's official website
Wikipedia entry on Gino Vannelli
Father And Son
Gino Vannelli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you bear a son so much like yourself
And it's hard to believe that he's a grown man
But pop I understand
Once every night I thank my lucky stars
You've given me some guiding light
But there comes a time when a father and a son
It took me so long to recover
From the pain of having denied the love I once relied upon
It takes more than time to discover
That for both the young and old
The truth is sometimes cold but right
This is my life
And I've got to hold my own
Even if it means hurting us both
And the wrongs become right when
We stop and wonder how
Look at us
We're better friends now
The song Father and Son by Gino Vannelli is a touching tribute to the father-son bond. In the first verse, the singer reflects on how much he resembles his father and how it is hard to believe that he has grown up. However, he assures his father that he understands him. In the second verse, the singer thanks his father for being his guiding light but acknowledges that there comes a time when they cannot be as one anymore. He then goes on to talk about how he had denied the love he once relied upon and how it took him a long time to recover from the pain. The singer concludes the song by talking about how they are better friends now and that sometimes the truth is cold but right.
The song beautifully captures the complexities of the father-son relationship. Although there is love and admiration between them, there are also moments of conflict and pain. The lyrics emphasize the importance of understanding and accepting each other's differences. It also highlights the fact that sometimes letting go is necessary for growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Once in a life there comes a man like you
There are certain rare men who make a huge impact in people's lives and you are one of them
And you bear a son so much like yourself
You have a son who bears a remarkable resemblance to you in character and mannerisms
And it's hard to believe that he's a grown man
It's difficult to comprehend that your son has already become an adult
But pop I understand
However, I comprehend the complexities of our relationship and its evolving nature despite its challenges
Once every night I thank my lucky stars
Every night I express gratitude that I am blessed to have you as my father
You've given me some guiding light
You have provided me with invaluable guidance and support over the years
But there comes a time when a father and a son
However, at some point, every father-son relationship must evolve
Can no longer be as one
As each individual grows and develops, their paths may diverge and the previous closeness may become impossible to maintain
It took me so long to recover
I struggled for a long time to overcome the pain of denying myself the experience of being close to you
From the pain of having denied the love I once relied upon
I denied myself the love that you had offered me in the past and it caused me great pain
It takes more than time to discover
Healing from this kind of emotional wound requires more than just the passage of time
That for both the young and old
This is true for both the younger and the older generations
The truth is sometimes cold but right
The truth can be harsh, but accepting it is the right thing to do
This is my life
I have to live my life on my own terms
And I've got to hold my own
I must take care of myself and be independent
Even if it means hurting us both
Even if this hurts the relationship between us
And the wrongs become right when
When things are put right eventually
We stop and wonder how
We take a moment to contemplate our situation and how we got to this point
Look at us
We need to evaluate how we both are doing
We're better friends now
Our relationship has evolved and we are now better friends than we were father and son previously
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GINO VANNELLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind