Loredana Bertè

Loredana Bertè (born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer and actress. In her long career she has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister Mia Martini was also an acclaimed singer. She has experimented with different genres, from rock to reggae, from funk to pop. Bertè is known for the eccentric clothing she wears onstage for her performances. At one point in her life (1988–1992), she was married to the tennis star Björn Borg. Bertè was born in Bagnara Calabra, Province of Reggio Calabria, in Southern Italy on September 20 as the third of four daughters, three years after her sister Domenica. Her parents, Giuseppe Radames Bertè and Maria Salvina Dato, were both school teachers. Loredana spent her childhood in Porto Recanati and then in Ancona. After her parents separated, Bertè moved with her mother to Rome where she attended the local Art Institute. In the early 1970s she performed as a go-go dancer in television and radio shows such as "Bandiera Gialla" and "Stasera Rita!". She later joined the dance troupe of the Piper Club in Rome, where she met Renato Zero. In 1969 both Bertè, Zero and Teo Teocoli starred in the Italian edition of the musical "Hair". In 1970 Loredana and her sister Domenica, who had by then changed her name to Mia Martini, performed as backing vocalists for Chico Buarque de Holanda. While Martini would consequently start a successful music career…