The dark history of the Steve Rogers Band
Promises, dreams, betrayals. The Steve Rogers Band is one of the most fascinating stories of the Italian rockbut at the same time also one of the most obscure and controversial. Born as Vasco Rossi’s groupbefore being in some way disavowed by Zocca’s rocker himselftoday the Steve Rogers Band is surrounded by one cult statusas evidenced by the enthusiasm of the most staunch fans in front of the recent reunion at Red Ronnie’s Roxy Bar — with Maurizio Solieri on guitar and his son Eric on the battery, Andrea Innesto to the voice and the winds, Claudio Golinelli to the bottom and Mimmo Camporeale to keyboards — both that linked to reissues of historical records published by Sony Musicthrough the catalog division Legacy Recordings.
The birth of the group
It’s the 1980 when, immediately after the recordings of “Alfredo’s fault”, Vasco Rossi decides to found one band of his ownwith one strong sonic identity. The idea is to build a formation that represents for the rocker from Zocca what, beyond the Atlantic, is the And Street Band for Bruce Springsteen. Steve Rogers is the pseudonym chosen by Guido Elmiwho began collaborating with Rossi in Alfredo’s fault as a guitarist and which will soon become his main right armproducer of seminal records such as “It’s just us”, “Bubbles”, “What’s happening in the city” And “There are those who say no”. It has never been clarified whether the name Steve Rogers derives from the alter ego of Captain Americabut the ambiguity will contribute over time to build the myth. There first training comprehends Massimo Riva to the voice and guitars, Maurizio Solieri to the guitars, Mimmo Camporeale on keyboards, Andrea Righi to the bottom and Roberto Casini to the battery. All musicians linked to Bolognese sceneat a time when Bolognaat the beginning of 80sis one of most important cultural crossroads in the country: university city, political laboratory, musical hotbed. A context that Vasco himself recently recalled in an interview with La Repubblica: «We were convinced anarchistsbut not those of the bombs… For us, anarchy meant self-determinationself-control, facing life without external authorities.” It is in this climate that the Steve Rogers Band absorbs and reworks the social and cultural tensions of the period.
Bologna, post-punk and new wave
In the Bolognese context the band builds a radical attitudedistant from both more nihilistic punk both from rock tamed by the market. Starting from punk rock which dominates the basement of the city, the Steve Rogers Band contaminates it with new wave And post-punk. The real trademark, however, are the textswritten in Italian with a rare care for the punk scene of the time. The songs, starting from “Black snow” — that in 1981 marks the group’s official recording debut (with “Grab and run” on side B) – mostly bear his signature Vasco Rossi. They tell precariousness, urban alienation And post-ideological disillusionmentwith a language that unites poetry and social commentary: «If it snows tomorrow / it will be hard snow». Meanwhile Vasco begins his definitive climbthanks to the two iconic performances at the Sanremo Festival in 1982 with “I go to the maximum” and of 1983 with “Reckless Life”which in a few years consecrated him as the Italian rocker par excellence. As he grows, so does the band’s, but the problems begin to emerge first tensions.
The first lineup changes
In the 1984so, here come the first lineup changes: Andrea Righi And Roberto Casini are replaced respectively by Claudio “Il Gallo” Golinelli to the bass and from Daniele Tedeschi to the battery. The saxophonist is also added Andrea Innesto. In the 1986 Vasco signs several texts of the band’s first album, “Tough guys don’t dance”produced by Guido Elmi. Registrations take place at Umbi Studio in Modenawhere a few months earlier the group had worked with Rossi on “What’s happening in the city”. The album opens with “Ok yes”with nuances rock-reggaeand then move towards the danceable rock’n’roll of “Senza un alibi” and “Rock’n’Roll”: there is also an Italian cover of “Desperado” of the Eagles, “I’m leaving”. The album gets a moderate success and allows the band to make themselves known even beyond the connection with Vasco. After the “C’è chi dice no” tour in 1987the Steve Rogers Band decides to definitively detach yourself from the rocker and attempt the path of autonomy, always under the guidance of Elmi.
The breakup with Vasco
The result is “Raise your skirt”, which marked the commercial peak of the Steve Rogers Band in 1988. The single of the same name became the catchphrase of the Italian summer of that year, thanks to a very paraculi refrain (“Lift up your skirt / show me / what there is to do”). The second excerpt, “Little doll”, allows the band to win the Telegatto like “Group of the Year“, delivered by Red Ronnie during “Vote the voice”. A long summer tour follows, at the end of which the definitive separation from Vasco is sanctioned. Innesto and Tedeschi are the only ones to remain at the rocker’s side. Beppe Leoncini takes over on drums and the Steve Rogers Band continues, without sax, with Massimo Riva, Giovanni Cappa and Maurizio Solieri on guitars. But the descent, after the exploit, is just around the corner. The sales of the third album “Steve Rogers Band”, in 1989, they don’t take off. The group’s participation in the group is of little use Sanremo Festival: Riva and his companions register in the “Emerging” section with “One of us”, but they are eliminated after the first performance. An event that effectively marks the beginning of the end of the project.
What happened to its members?
The experience of Steve Rogers Band officially ends in 1991. Massimo Rivaoriented towards a solo, public career “Mad like everyone else” In the 1995without success. In the same year he returned to the Vasco Rossi’s bandalso participating in the historic concert of Imola of 20 June 1998in front of 130,000 peopleduring the first edition of theHeineken Jammin’ Festival. Despite the favorable professional moment, at the end of 90s Riva falls into one severe heroin addiction and the May 31, 1999 is found dead for overdose in his apartment Bologna. Maurizio Solieri And Claudio Golinelli they will continue to work with various artists, returning permanently to the Vasco band at the end of the 90s. Mimmo Camporealeinstead, will collaborate with Luciano Genovesi and will be active especially with the Vascombriccolatribute band dedicated to Rossi.
The story told by Vasco Rossi
Only many years after the dissolution of the group, Vasco Rossi will tell his version of events via a official post spread by his entourage: «Since ’84 Vasco has been detoxified and has abandoned the excesses of the early eighties. It became a professional. The band, on the contrary, insists with a amateurish attitude. In particular, Massimino and Gallo continue with “habits” and the unreliable behaviors that Vasco can no longer allow. Arguments and temporary separations often arise. In 1988 Vasco entered the studio alone to record the album “Liberi Liberi”, firing Guido Elmi for irreconcilable artistic differences. Elmi reacts and comes up with a vengeful plan which plays on the “egos” of the two old friends. He promises Maurizio Solieri and Massimo Riva to produce and launch them as long as they no longer play live with Vasco Rossi. They accept. The cunning plan succeeds. The two, at the head of the Steve Rogers Band, galvanized by the summer success of the single “alzati la skirt” took part in the 1989 Sanremo Festival. Unfortunately they were eliminated on the first evening. After the resulting disappointing tour, Massimo Riva leaves the group. He embarked on a solo career with four personal albums that did not achieve appreciable results. In ’95 he rejoined Vasco Rossi’s band. Maurizio Solieri had already done it in ’91.” On subsequent activities, the staff concludes clearly: «The Steve Rogers Band was carried on for a few years by supporting members. This is the end of the story». A version that does not close the wounds, but which helps to make the Steve Rogers Band one of more complex, contradictory and mythical events of Italian rock.
