Born in 1924 (four years after Renato Carosone, and four years before Domenico Modugno) in a family of musicians, Marino Marini graduated from the Conservatorio di Bologna and made a difficult living by teaching music, until called by the army. In 1947, while being appointed artistic director of the Metropolitan music-hall in Napoli, he tried various forms of musical ensembles. However, his posting in that city was for him a revelation: he felt he was re-born to the Neapolitan music