Background
Luciano was born on October 12, 1935 in Modena. His father was a baker who, according to Pavarotti, had a fine tenor voice but rejected the possibility of a singing career because of nervousness.
His mother worked in a cigar factory.
Pavarotti's earliest musical influences were his father's recordings, most of them featuring the popular tenors of the day-Gigli, Martinelli, Schipa, and Caruso.