Maestro Vinny Vella, a beloved figure in Valletta’s music scene, has passed away peacefully at the age of 96, his grandson revealed today.
Born in Valletta in 1928, Vinny Vella’s 50-year career was dedicated to the clarinet and saxophone, making his name synonymous with iconic venues such as Strait Street, The Premier, Phoenicia, and Chalet.
“Maestro Vinny Vella Sr will be remembered as one of Malta’s leading musicians, with a career spanning from the 1940s to the early 1990s,” said his grandson Jamie in an interview with Lovin Malta.
As the frontman and director of his band ‘Vinny’s Blue Jackets,’ Vella performed with many notable local and international artists, including Albano, Bobby Solo, and Wilma De Angelis. One of the highlights of his career, according to his grandson, was performing at a ball attended by then-Princess Elizabeth during her time in Malta.
“To many, he will be remembered as the larger-than-life Maestro. To us, he was simply ‘nannu Vinny’ – the heart of our family. Thank you, nannu, for the love, wisdom, memories, and – thank you for the music,” Jamie wrote on social media.
As tributes pour in for the Maltese musical legend, Valletta councillor Ray Azzopardi described the loss as losing an “icon” of the locality.
