participant_of dori ghezzi
The Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo ( in English : " Italian song festival of Sanremo ") is the most popular Italian song contest and awards , held annually in the city of Sanremo , in Italy , and consisting of a competition amongst previously unreleased songs . Usually referred to as Festival di Sanremo , or outside Italy as ___MASK68___ or ___MASK68___ Award , it was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest . The ___MASK53___ was the 20th edition of the contest hosted by SR and held in Stockholm , Sweden . The arena for the event was the newly built Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö in southern Stockholm . ABBA ' s victory in Brighton the previous year gave Sweden the right to host the contest for the first time . The Contest was won by Teach - In , who sang " Ding - a - dong " in English , representing the Netherlands . The ___MASK66___ , sometimes popularly called Eurovision but not to be confused with the Eurovision network that broadcasts it , is the longest - running annual international TV song competition , held , primarily , among the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ) since 1956 . The competition was based upon the existing ___MASK68___ held in Italy since 1951 . Dori Ghezzi ( born 30 March 1946 ) is an Italian singer who was active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1989 . In the 1970s , Ghezzi worked mainly in a duo with American singer Wess , and the couple represented Italy in the 1975 ___MASK66___ . The European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ) is an alliance of public service media entities , established on 12 February 1950 . As of 2015 , the organisation comprises 73 active members in 56 countries , and 34 associate members from a further 20 countries . Most EU states are part of this organisation and therefore EBU has been subject to supranational legislation and regulation . It also hosted debates between candidates for the European Commission presidency for the 2014 parliamentary elections but is unrelated to the institution itself . It is best known for producing the ___MASK66___ . EBU is a member of the International Music Council . Wesley Johnson known by his stage name Wess ( August 13 , 1945  September 21 , 2009 ) was an American - born Italian singer and bass guitarist , perhaps mostly known for representing Italy along with Dori Ghezzi in the ___MASK53___ in Stockholm , Sweden , placing third . He formed a successful duo with Ghezzi and achieved some hits in Italy , such as " Voglio stare con te ", " Come stai ? Con chi sei ?" and " Un corpo e un ' anima ". Wess also was a singer and played bass guitar for the funk - soul band Wess & The Airedales in the 1960s and early 1970s . Originally from North Carolina , Wess moved to Italy in the 1960s in pursuit of a musical career . Wess died in New York during his United States tour when a breathing crisis led to his death . He was the father of UK - based R ' n ' B singer Romina Johnson , who often accompanied him as a backing singer .