This Good is my latest single (released in May 2023) that I wrote and recorded during some free time that I had recently, and I hope you enjoy it.
Palermo was released on March 31, 2021 and is an upbeat song with a slight Zydeco feel about the wonderful province of Palermo in Sicily........A song originally written in 1996 and then updated in 2021, this is the first song Vito wrote with some Italian lyrics......but it won’t be the last!
My first cover song Just Pretend was released on October 1st. Just Pretend was written by Guy Fletcher & Doug Flett, and was originally released by @elvispresley in 1970 (it has been among my favorite Elvis songs since the first time I heard it in the film “That’s The Way It Is”). I recently decided to record and release this cover song by putting my “Italy Cross” spin on it, and I really hope you enjoy it! It’s available for download/streaming on iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Check it out on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1y5cds1xfAoNkLsEGo6N5G?si=7OlIc3QySrWyihOnK5c6eA&dl_branch=1
Due to licensing restrictions, this cover song is only available in the USA at this time.
Perfect Sunday, a hopeful country song with an ”unplugged” feel was released on December 7, 2020 (just in time for the Christmas season) on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc.....
I Saw the Sun Shine, a country song with a Shania Twain meets The Beach Boys feel was released on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc on November 7, 2020....
Separate Ways, a country song written in 1997 was finally released January 7, 2021 on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and many more.
Bring on the Heartbreak, a country song with a late-60s/70s feel and the latest single from Italy Cross was released on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc on October 7, 2020.
Old Hickory and Me, a country song with a 50s rockabilly released on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc on September 7, 2020. The “cover” of the single pays homage to the covers we used to see on 45s in the 50s & 60s.
Pretty Dang in Love is a fun love song that was released on Valentines Day 2021.
Hello Friend is my latest single, a country song written in 1999 released December 2, 2021 on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and many more.
Here you’ll find news on upcoming new music releases and information on any upcoming performances. Sorry it's been a while....
New Single Release
Releasing a new version of Old Hickory and Me on the 3-year anniversary of its original release in honor of my Father-in-law Mel, who passed...
New Single Release
New Album Release
The first full length album will feature most of the singles released to date plus several new songs!
New Album Release
Besides being a small town in Nova Scotia, Italy Cross is the pseudonym that singer/songwriter and ASCAP member Vito Galati uses when releasing music that he produces. He has been writing and recording songs on-and-off for 25 years, and took a break from writing songs for about 10 years, but 2 years ago something changed.
In late 2017, Mel Crouse, Vito’s (then 92-year-old) father-in-law, presented Vito with a poem he called “old hickory tree and me” to read. After reading the poem, Vito immediately said “I can write a song based on this poem”, and Mel said “go for it”. Several months later Vito presented a demo version of the song to Mel during a drive while on vacation in Nova Scotia (in a town not too far away from Italy Cross) in 2018, and Mel loved it! Although Vito had no intention of ever releasing a song that featured him as the singer, he wanted to get the song "out there"; so the song (now called “Old Hickory and Me”) written by Vito Galati & Mel Crouse was released on September 7, and we hope you enjoy it! The song has motivated Vito to continue writing and recording songs, and has promised to release more music soon....
Oh, and the name Italy Cross was chosen for a few reasons:
1) The town was close to where Mel heard the demo for the first time.
2) It's a cool name.
3) Italy being in the name seemed like a natural fit (since Vito is an Italian-American)
4) Cross being in the name implies that the music can crossover into many genres.
Country music is at the heart of all Italy Cross songs, but the style can range from (one or a mix of) Rockabilly (like Old Hickory and Me), Traditional, Pop, Rock, and more. The songs have a sound ranging from 50s, 60s, 70s all the way up to today, and languages including English, Italian and Spanish.
Music influences include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Dean Martin, The Beatles, The Monkees (that’s right), The J. Geils Band, Anne Murray, Bee Gees, The Eagles, KISS; and even Italian Singer/Songwriters like Renato Carosone, Toto Cutugno, Umberto Tozzi and Adriano Celentano.....and many more....
He has performed covers in the Boston area, Old Saybrook in Connecticut, Lago Maggiore in Italy and even Suzhou in China! Although he enjoys performing, he has decided not to do any performances since the COVID pandemic started....but who knows, maybe he’ll do some virtual performances!
Although there won’t be any performances this year, we’d love to hear from you! Also, send us a request if you're a singer interested in recording or performing Italy Cross songs!