Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (Italian: [anˈnuntsjo ˈpaːolo mantoˈvaːni]; 15 November 1905 – 29 March 1980) was an Anglo-Italian conductor, composer and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums stated that he was "Britain's most successful album act before the Beatles... the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and [have] six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959.