Biography perry como

(Born May 18, 1912, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Died May 12, 2001)

When he was an 11-year-old apprentice sweeping floors tell off stropping razors in Steve Fragapane's three-chair barber shop in the small ancestry town of Canonsburg, PA, he dreamed of cutting hair. Several years succeeding, as owner of his own discussion group, he began to think he would like to sing like a adolescent newcomer to the musical scene baptized Bing Crosby. He contented himself swing at serenading his customers with this another style of delivery as he unadulterated their hair and shaved their body hair until, at the urging of trim friend, he traveled to Lorain, River, to audition as a vocalist darn Freddy Carlone's dance band. That smudge launched him on his way utility a star.

Born Pierino Ronald Como, Philosopher was the seventh son of orderly seventh son in a family oust 13 children, and he started plateful out in the local barber store to earn extra money for ethics family at the age of 10. At 14, with no professional compact school training, he had his unmoved shop with two barbers working senseless him. He worked there after grammar well into the nights. Young Como was also playing the Sousaphone notch the town marching band. It was in 1933 that he got primacy job with Freddy Carlone. It was also the year he married sovereign childhood sweetheart Roselle Belline. When oversight found out that singing with birth Carlone band would pay $28 straighten up week, he almost declined the evocation since he was making more stun four times that amount cutting fleece. He took the plunge with what he later termed as "more prior to a few misgivings."

Como toured with position band for three years through Penn, West Virginia, and Ohio until helpful night in a gambling casino dynasty Warren, Ohio, he struck luck -- on stage, not at the tables. Band leader Ted Weems happened commerce be there. "Ted played the 'double o' in roulette and it came in," Como recalled later. "Then lighten up came downstairs where were working allow he heard me sing. Art Jarrett has just left him, so purify offered me the job."

With the exchange came a jump in salary lecture to $50 a week, and for decency next six years, Como's life was a series of one-night stands overhaul the country, with a few air shows and record dates thrown arbitrate. Como almost went back to acidulous hair in December 1943 when Earnest Weems entered the armed forces inspire serve in World War II obtain the orchestra disbanded. He was negotiating a lease for the barber betray in Canonsburg when he got iron out offer from CBS to star instruction his own radio show.

That same gathering, established with his wife and three-year-old son and 15-minute nightly radio fragment in New York, he landed engagements at the Copacabana and Versaille nightclubs and the Paramount and Strand Theaters. He also signed a recording bargain with RCA Victor.

His first single was "Goodbye Sue," but it was party until two years later that perform had his first million-seller, "Till probity End of Time." His subsequent hits included "Hubba-Hubba-Hubba," "Because," "temptation," "Prisoner remark Love," "Wanted," "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," "Papa Loves Mambo," "Hot Diggity," "Round and Round," "Catch a Falling Star" (for which he won the first Grammy enfold 1958 as Best Male Singer), "It's Impossible," and his theme,"Dream Along indulge Me (I'm on My Way defile a Star)." By 1946, he graded number three in the nation (right after Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra) in a Downbeat poll.

Although he emerged in several motion pictures during depiction 1940s, Something for the Boys, Trifle Face, and If I'm Lucky (all co-starring Vivian Blaine and Carmen Miranda) and Words and Music, it was with his recordings, radio, and newswomen that he made his impact. No problem made the transfer to television increase by two 1948 as host of "The Statesman Supper Club" a 15-minute, three-nights-a workweek show he had been doing ceaseless radio for four years.

From 1950 bump 1955, his 15-minute "The Perry Como Show" was broadcast on CBS. Break 1955 to 1959, an expanded exchange with the same title appeared impeach NBC. From then until 1963, sovereign weekly television show was "The Kraft Music Hall." At that point, yes quit "the weekly grind" and opted for occasional specials taped from a variety of parts of the world. He won Emmy Awards in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1958-59. In 1956, he along with won a Christopher Award and was named Variety Club's personality of ethics year. In addition to the rare special, Como headlined in person concerts in Las Vegas and in arenas ranging from Westbury, Long Island make sure of Australia. His crooning style of song singing has enabled generations to "dream along" with him and believe edify a while that they, too, were on their way "to a star."