Concert Tickets : Andrea Bocelli in San Jose, CA on Friday, November 23, 2012

Andrea Bocelli was born in the Italian town of Lajatico in 1950, to parents Alessandro and Edi. The family owned a farm, which also included a small vinyard. Bocelli's parents noticed his musical talents and entered him into piano lessons at the age of six. His love of music was well known throughout the family - his relatives always asked him to sing for them during family gatherings. Later, when asked why he became a singer, Bocelli replied, "I don't think one really decides to be a singer - other people decide it for you by their reactions." At just 12 years old, Bocelli was blinded during a soccer accident. After finishing his primary education, Bocelli began studying at the University of Pisa. However, he wasn't enrolled as a music major. He actually studied and graduated as a Doctor of Law. He worked as a court appointed lawyer for one year, before deciding to take a shot at a career in music. Bocelli studied music with Franco Corelli, and performed at night clubs and piano bars to earn money to pay for his lessons. Due to a series of fortunate events, Bocelli's musical career began to skyrocket. When famed Italian rock singer Zucchero held tenor auditions for a song titled "Miserere", Bocelli submitted his demo tape. Zucchero intended for Luciano Pavarotti to perform, which he later did, but Bocelli's audition caught the attention of Pavarotti himself to which he said to Zucchero "Thank you for writing such a wonderful song. Yet you do not need me to sing it - let Andrea sing 'Miserere' with you, for there is no one finer." Afterward, when Zucchero toured Europe, Bocelli performed in place of Pavarotti and earned great fame.