The Tarantellas

Richard Sclafani and Pete Cicero are lifelong musicians who
grew up in Italian-American families and neighborhoods during
the '50s, the hey day of the Italian-American crooners.  They
met 30 years ago in Seattle and have been musical "paesans"
ever since.  Both have performed as singer-songwriters, and in
bands ranging from folk, to blues, to rock and roll over the
years.  Eight years ago they were asked to play some Italian love
songs for a wedding, which set them off on a quest to learn all
those great melodies that they remembered from childhood.

Born in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, Richard started playing guitar and singing at age ten, and learned mouth organ at 16.  He has performed over the years in bands ranging from Country (The Pride of Country West), to Blues (Young Richard and the Fountain of Blues), to Rock and Roll (The Funatics), and as a Singer-Songwriter under the name of Young Richard Young. He fell in love with the Italian Mandolin in 2001, and has been fascinated by its unique sound and the beauty of Italian music ever since.  

Peter grew up in the San Fernando Valley in California. He learned to play guitar in his teens, and played in the L.A. area group The Seeds of Time. He is a skilled songwriter, and wrote the music for the novelty tune "Pencil Neck Geek", one of Dr. Demento's top ten novelty songs of all time! His love of Italian music goes back to memories of his Grandmother singing Italian opera around the kitchen, and his ability to create and sing harmony vocals has greatly contributed to the unique sound of The Tarantellas.