Leo Chiosso (August 8, 1920 – November 26, 2006) was an Italian lyricist mostly known for his work with Fred Buscaglione. They formed a songwriting duo who produced about forty songs and created Buscaglione’s public persona, a humorous tough guy with a penchant for whisky and women.
Their friendship was abruptly interrupted by World War II. Chiosso was deported to Poland, while Buscaglione ended up in a US internment camp in Sardinia. Chiosso had news about his friend’s fate thanks to the radio – Buscaglione had joined the allied radio station orchestra in Cagliari, and Chiosso knew he was still alive when he heard him playing.
Chiosso and Buscaglione reunited in Turin after the end of the war, and started writing songs together. Chiosso’s lyrics were inspired by the American crime fiction he was an avid reader of, as well as by current news. They were humorous stories about gangsters and their babes, New York and Chicago, tough men who were ruthless with enemies but easily fell victims to a woman’s charms. They fitted perfectly with the image of amiable braggart Buscaglione was creating for himself.
The first Buscaglione-Chiosso hit was Che bambola of 1956, the song that brought Buscaglione to nation-wide celebrity. It was followed by many other hits, including Che notte, Criminalmente bella, Il dritto di Chicago, Eri piccola così, Lontano da te, Love in Portofino, Porfirio Villarosa, Sgancia e pedala, Teresa non sparare, Whisky facile.