The Apulian guitar of “Spaghetti western”

In 1964, the audience of the Sergio Leone's for a fistful of dollars heard something original: the electric guitar.

For a fistful of dollars was a low budget movie of the so-called dollars trilogy.

The innovation introduced to the western movies is due to the maestro Ennio Morricone and to the guitar player Pino Rucher.

Pino Rucher was a talented guitarist.

He was born in Manfredonia, Apulia.

In 1933, his father, back from the States, presented a guitar to Pino.

Between 1943 and ’46, Pino Rucher joined several Allied Army orchestras which held concerts in Manfredonia and all around Apulia.

Therefore, he had chance to get familiar with jazz, improving a lot as musician.

Pino was a permanent musician of the Angelini band.

Additionally, he played guitar for so many editions of Sanremo festivals.

However, in this article I am going to write about the Pino Rucher’s contribution to the cinema.

He played guitar for soundtracks of the Italian cinema from the late 50ies till mid 70ies.

He worked with orchestra conductors such as: Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani and Luis Enriquez Bacalov

       

                                                                           

                                       

He worked for more than 200 movies.

Let me just point out those movies which for me are the most representative of the Italian cinema of those years: La Grande Guerra,  Otto e mezzo and Il boom