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Perry Como

Background information
Birth namePierino Ronald Como
BornMay 18, 1912(1912-05-18)
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 12, 2001 (aged 88)
Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, U.S.
Genre(s)Easy Listening, Adult Contemporary, Popular Vocal, Pop, Big Band, Jazz, Latin, Swing, Country, Rock And Roll
Instrument(s)Vocalist
Years active1933–1998
Label(s)Decca, RCA Victor

Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer and television personality. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Canonsburg is a Borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km southwest of Pittsburgh. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Jupiter Inlet Colony is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Easy listening music is a style of Popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century evolving out of swing and Big band music Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in SpongeBob SquarePants is the main character of the Fictional Nickelodeon Animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. "Mr. C", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for RCA and also pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. His combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time.

A popular television performer and recording artist, Perry Como produced numerous hit records with record sales so high the label literally stopped counting at Como's behest. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world and his popularity seemingly had no geographical or language boundaries. He was equally at ease in live performance and in the confines of a recording studio. His appeal spanned generations and he was widely respected for both his professional standards and the conduct in his personal life. In the official RCA Records Billboard Magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry An example to all. "

Well known American composer Ervin Drake said of him, " . The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Ervin Drake (born April 3, 1919) is an American songwriter Born in New York City, he was active in the United States throughout much of the '40s '50s . . occasionally someone like Perry comes along and won't 'go with the flow' and still prevails in spite of all the bankrupt others who surround him and importune him to yield to their values. Only occasionally. "

Perry Como received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989, and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization located in Lake Grove New York.

Contents

Personal life

Como, an Italian American, was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, the middle child of 13 children. An Italian American is an American of Italian descent and/or dual citizenship Canonsburg is a Borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km southwest of Pittsburgh. He was a Roman Catholic. Although he always liked to sing, his first great ambition was to be the best barber in Canonsburg. A barber (from the Latin barba, " Beard " is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair give shaves, and trim After graduation from high school, he opened his own barber-shop. In 1933, he married his teenage sweetheart, Roselle Belline, whom he had met at a picnic in 1929 when he was just 17. They raised three children. In 1993, he was successfully treated for bladder cancer. Perry and Roselle remained married until her death in August 1998 at age 84. Como was reportedly devastated by her passing.

Professional singer

Perry Como and Superman
Perry Como and Superman

In 1933 Como joined Freddy Carlone's band in Ohio, and three years later moved up to Ted Weems' Orchestra and his first recording dates. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Wilfred Theodore (Ted Weems (originally Wemyes ( 26 September, 1901 - 6 May, 1963) was a United States Bandleader and Their first recording was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the Decca Records label. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis.

In 1942 Weems dissolved his band, and Como went on to CBS, where he sang for a couple of years without any conspicuous success. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. By this time the erstwhile barber had decided to return to Canonsburg, his family, and his barbering. Just as he was about to abandon his singing career once and for all, two NBC producers stepped in, returning him to show business for the NBC radio program Chesterfield Supper Club. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Chesterfield Supper Club was an NBC musical variety radio program (1944-50 which was also telecast by NBC from 1948 to 1950 Later he became a very successful performer in theater and nightclub engagements.

In 1945, Como recorded the pop ballad "Till the End of Time" (based on Chopin's "Heroic Polonaise"), which marked the beginning of a highly successful career. The Polonaise in A-flat major Op 53 or ( Polonaise héroïque, Heroic Polonaise) was written by Frédéric Chopin in 1842 for solo piano Como was the first artist to have ten records sell more than one million copies. Similarly, his television show achieved a much higher rating than that of any other vocalist to date.

Como had, according to Joel Whitburn's compilations of the U. S. Pop Charts, fourteen U. S. #1 singles: "Till The End Of Time" (1945); "Prisoner of Love" (1946); "Surrender" (1946); "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" (1947); "A - You're Adorable" (1949); "Some Enchanted Evening" (1949); "Hoop-De-Doo" (1950); "If" (1951); "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" (1952); "No Other Love" (1953); "Wanted" (1954); "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" (1956); "Round And Round" (1957); and "Catch A Falling Star" (1957).

On March 14, 1958, the RIAA certified Como's hit single, "Catch A Falling Star" as its first ever Gold Record. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Como won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, male for "Catch a Falling Star. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance Male was awarded from 1959 to 1968 " His final Top 40 hit was a cover of Don McLean's "And I Love You So", recorded in 1973. Donald McLean (born October 2 1945 in New Rochelle New York) is an American Singer-songwriter.

He recorded many albums of songs for the RCA Victor label between 1952 and 1987, and is credited with numerous gold records. An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public Como had so many recordings achieve gold-record status that he refused to have many of them certified. It was this characteristic which made him so different from his peers, and which endeared him to legions of fans throughout the world. Over the decades, Como is reported to have sold millions of records, but he commonly suppressed these figures.

By the 1980s, the atmosphere of recording had changed dramatically from his early days at RCA Victor. Como's recording sessions had previously been filled with laughter and joy. In his 1959 recording of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", listeners with headphones can hear him burst into laughter during one orchestra passage. But in later years, the sessions deteriorated into much more sombre occasions. For this reason, he walked away from his final studio-produced recordings in the early 1980s. He returned to record a final album for RCA with his trusted friend and associate Nick Perito in 1987. His recording of "The Wind Beneath My Wings" was almost autobiographical, a fitting end to a long and successful recording career. Como recorded only once more, in 1994, privately, for his well-known Christmas Concert in Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world

Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

Perry Como was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2007.

Vocal characteristics

Perry Como modelled his voice and style after Bing Crosby as most male singers of the 1930s and 1940s did. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Perry Como's voice is widely known for its good-natured vocal acrobatics as portrayed in his highly popular novelty songs such as "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)". But there was another side to Perry Como described by music critic Gene Lees in his sleeve note to Como's 1968 album "Look To Your Heart":

Despite his immense popularity, Como is rarely given credit for what, once you stop and think of it, he so clearly is: one of the great singers and one of the great artists of our time. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Perhaps the reason people rarely talk about his formidable attributes as a singer is that he makes so little fuss about them. That celebrated ease of his has been too little understood. Ease in any art is the result of mastery over the details of the craft. You get them together to the point where you can forget about how you do things and concentrate on what you are doing. Como got them together so completely that the muscles don’t even show. It seems effortless, but a good deal of effort has gone into making it seem so. Como is known to be meticulous about rehearsal of the material for an album. He tries things out in different keys, gives the song thought, makes suggestions, tries it again, and again, until he is satisfied. The hidden work makes him look like Mr. Casual, and too many people are taken in by it — but happily so. I have of necessity given a good deal of thought and study to the art of singing, and Como's work consistently astonishes me. He is a fantastic technician. Listen in this album to the perfection of his intonation, the beauty of the sound he produces, the constant comfortable breath control. And take notice of his high notes. Laymen are often impressed by the high note you can hear for five blocks. Professionals know that it is far more difficult to hit a high note quietly. Como lights on a C or D at the top of a tune as softly as a bird on a branch, not even shaking it. And then there's his phrasing. A number of our best singers phrase well. The usual technique is to rethink the lyrics of a song to see how they would come out if you were saying them, and then approximate in singing the normal speech inflections and rhythms. This often involves altering the melody, but it is a legitimate practice and when done well can be quite striking. But Como is beyond that. He apparently does not find it necessary to change the melodic line in order to infuse a song with emotion. A great jazz trumpeter once told me, "After fifteen years of playing, I’ve come to the conclusion that the hardest thing to do is to play melody, play it straight and get feeling into it. " Como has been doing this from the beginning. Stylistically, he comes out of the Bing Crosby-Russ Colombo school. Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo ( January 14 1908 &ndash September 2 1934) better known as Russ Columbo, was an American That was all a long time ago. Como has been his own man for many years now. He sounds like nobody else. And nobody sounds like him, either. He is hard to imitate precisely because his work is so free of tricks and gimmicks. There are no mannerisms for another singer to pick up from him. All one can do is try to sing as well and as honestly as Como, and any singer who does that will end up sounding like himself, not Como.

Perry Como's greatest hit was "Till The End Of Time. "

Television

Perry Como made the move to television when NBC televised the Chesterfield Supper Club radio program on December 24, 1948. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1950, he moved to CBS and the show's title was changed to The Perry Como Show. Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como ( May 18 1912 &ndash May 12 2001) was an Italian-American singer and television personality Como hosted this 15 minute musical variety series on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, immediately following the CBS Television News. CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The Faye Emerson Show was broadcast in the same time slot on Tuesday and Thursday.

Como's 15-minute television show continued through the early 1950s until he moved back to NBC in 1955 on Saturdays, extended to an hour long. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U On September 15, 1956, the season premiere of The Perry Como Show was broadcast from NBC's new color television studios at the New York Ziegfeld Theatre, making it one of the first weekly color TV shows. The Television Technology can be divided along two lines those developments that depended upon both mechanical and electronic Principles and The Ziegfeld Theatre was a Broadway Theatre formerly located at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan, In 1959, Como moved to Wednesday night, hosting the Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall for the next five years. Kraft Music Hall was an umbrella title for several Television series aired by NBC in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s in the musical

Como became the highest-paid performer in the history of television to that date, earning mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Prior to this, Como competed with Jackie Gleason in what was billed the "Battle of the Giants", and won. Herbert Walton Gleason Jr, baptized John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason ( February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an This is now rarely mentioned, in part because Como commonly played down his own achievements.

Como had numerous Christmas television specials, beginning on Christmas Eve 1948, and continuing to 1994, when his final Christmas special was recorded in Ireland. Christmas Eve, December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world After his weekly TV series ended in 1963, Como's television specials became bi-monthly, then monthly, and were finally limited to seasonal specials celebrating Easter, Spring, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, ending in 1987. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. In the United States, Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is an annual one-day legal holiday to express Gratitude for the things one has They were recorded from many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Rome, Austria, France, and many locations throughout North America. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Como's Christmas concert in Ireland was his final special, and the last of his commercial recordings.

A farewell concert from Ireland

In January 1994, Como travelled to Dublin, Ireland, for what would be an auspicious moment in his long career of more than sixty years. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. 1993 would have marked his fiftieth anniversary with the RCA Victor label as well as his forty-fifth year of television specials celebrating Christmas and its importance throughout the world to people of all faiths. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Como's Irish Christmas was produced for the American PBS public television system and despite Como looking aged and unwell, has been re-broadcast annually since 1994. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the At the show's conclusion, Como apologized to his Dublin audience for a performance he felt was not up to his usual standards.

Death

Como died quietly in his sleep on May 12, 2001 at his home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, six days before his eighty-ninth birthday. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Jupiter Inlet Colony is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. He was reported to have suffered from symptoms of Alzheimer's disease during the final two years of his life. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia. [1] His Funeral Mass took place at St. A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Florida. Palm Beach may refer to Places;Aruba Palm Beach Aruba, a city northwest of Oranjestad;Australia Palm Beach New South Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the

Trivia

Singing statue of Perry Como in downtown Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Singing statue of Perry Como in downtown Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Long Play Albums ~ RCA Victor 10"

Long Play Albums ~ RCA Victor 12"

Long Play Albums ~ RCA Camden 12"

Selected Compilation Albums

Final Recordings

Radio

Television ~ Host

Television ~ Guest - Guest Host - Cameo Appearance - Documentary

Filmography - Including Shorts

Round and Round

Como's hit song was adapted for a Ballantine beer commercial, centering on the three rings that symbolized the product. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Words and Music ( 1948) is a Movie based on the lives of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart.

The original song begins this way:

Find a wheel and it goes round, round, round
As it skims along with a happy sound
As it goes along the ground, ground, ground
Till it leads you to the one you love.

The advertisement:

Take a ring and add another ring
And then another ring and then you've got three rings
Ballantine and now it's premium
It's a very special glass of beer.

See also

References


External links

A listing of lists of Musicians. By genre The following are lists of musicians by style and genre. The following is a list of selected recordings by Perry Como (all on RCA Victor except where Ted Weems orchestra is referenced in those cases on Decca When adding to this page please ensure that your claims are sourced Epinionscom is a general consumer review site that was established in 1999. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG" is the largest daily Newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records
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