Eugenio Bennato co-founded the group Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare in 1969; its purpose was research into and the revival of tradition Southern Italian music, They released a number of albums, but in about 1976 - while continuing to produce recordings of traditional music - Bennato began to concentrate on composing, including the soundtracks to films such as Don Chisciotte (1984) and La Stanza dello Scirocco (1997).