Perry Como
| Perry Como | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Pierino Ronald Como | |
| Born | May 18, 1912 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania | |
| Died | May 12, 2001 - age 88 Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida | |
| Occupation: | Singer
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| Instrument{s} | Vocals | |
| Label{s} | Decca Records, RCA Victor | |
| Associated acts{s} |
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| Years active | 1932–1997 | |
| Genre(s): | ||
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (/ˈkoʊmoʊ/; ✦May 18, 1912 – †May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943.
He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multi-media star Bing Crosby.
"Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. 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. An example to all."
Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, and a Christopher Award in 1956. He also shared a Peabody Award with his good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987 and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.
Early years
Como was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. He was the seventh of ten children and the first American-born child of Pietro Como (1877-1945) and Lucia Travaglini (1883-1961), who both emigrated to the US in 1910 from the Abruzzese town of Palena, Italy. He did not begin speaking English until he entered school, since the Comos spoke Italian at home. The family had a second-hand organ his father had bought for $3; as soon as Como was able to toddle, he would head to the instrument, pump the bellows, and play music he had heard. Pietro, a mill hand and an amateur baritone, had all his children attend music lessons even if he could barely afford them. In a rare 1957 interview, Como's mother, Lucia, described how her young son also took on other jobs to pay for more music lessons; Como learned to play many different instruments but never had a voice lesson. He showed more musical talent in his teenage years as a trombone player in the town's brass band, playing guitar, singing at weddings, and as an organist at church. Como was a member of the Canonsburg Italian Band along with bandleader Stan Vinton, who was the father of singer Bobby Vinton, and often a customer at Como's barber shop.
Como started helping his family at age 10, working before and after school in Steve Fragapane's barber shop for 50¢ a week. By age 13, he had graduated to having his own chair in the Fragapane barber shop, although he stood on a box to tend to his customers. It was also around this time that Como lost his week's wages in a dice game. Filled with shame, he locked himself in his room and did not come out until hunger got the better of him. He managed to tell his father what had happened to the money his family depended on. His father told him he was entitled to make a mistake and that he hoped his son would never do anything worse than this. When Como was 14, his father became unable to work because of a severe heart condition. Como and his brothers became the support of the household.
Despite his musical ability, Como's primary ambition was to become the best barber in Canonsburg. Practicing on his father, he mastered the skills well enough to have his own shop at age 14.[30][31] One of Como's regular customers at the barber shop owned a Greek coffee house that included a barber shop area, and asked Como whether he would like to take over that portion of his shop. Como had so much work after moving to the coffee house, he had to hire two barbers to help with it. His customers worked mainly at the nearby steel mills. They were well-paid, did not mind spending money on themselves, and enjoyed Como's song renditions. He did especially well when one of his customers would marry. The groom and his men would avail themselves of every treatment Como and his assistants had to offer. Como sang romantic songs while busying himself with the groom as the other two barbers worked with the rest of the groom's party. During the wedding preparation, the groom's friends and relatives would come into the shop with gifts of money for Como. He became so popular as a "wedding barber that he was asked to provide his services in Pittsburgh and throughout Ohio.
Singing career
In 1932, Como left Canonsburg, moving about 100 miles away to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his uncle had a barber shop in the Hotel Conneaut. About 80 miles from Cleveland, it was a popular stop on the itinerary for dance bands who worked up and down the Ohio Valley. Como, his girlfriend Roselle, and their friends had gone to nearby Cleveland; their good times took them to the Silver Slipper Ballroom where Freddy Carlone and his orchestra were playing. Carlone invited anyone who thought he might have talent to come up and sing with his band. Como was terrified, but his friends urged him and pushed him onto the stage. Carlone was so impressed with Como's performance that he immediately offered him a job.
Como was not certain if he should accept the offer Freddy Carlone had made, so he returned to Canonsburg to talk the matter over with his father. Como expected his father would tell him to stay in the barber business, but to his surprise, his father told him if he did not take the opportunity, he might never know whether or not he could be a professional singer. The decision was also made with an eye on finances; Como earned around $125 per week from his barber shop while the job with Carlone paid $28 per week. Roselle was willing to travel with her fiance and the band, but the salary was not enough to support two people on the road. Perry and Roselle were married in Meadville on July 31, 1933; four days later, Como joined Freddy Carlone's band and began working with them. Roselle returned home to Canonsburg; Como would be on the road for the next 18 months.
Three years after joining the Carlone band, Como moved to Ted Weems's Orchestra and his first recording dates. Como and Weems met in 1936 while the Carlone orchestra was playing in Warren, Ohio. Como initially did not take the offer to join Weems's orchestra. Apparently realizing it was the best move for Como, Carlone selflessly urged him to sign with Weems. Art Jarrett had just left the Weems organization to start his own band. Weems was in need of a vocalist; Como got a raise, as Weems paid him $50 per week, and his first chance for nationwide exposure. Weems and his orchestra were based in Chicago and were regulars on The Jack Benny Program and Fibber McGee and Molly. The Weems band also had its own weekly radio program heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System during 1936–1937.
It was here where Como acquired polish and his own style with the help of Weems. Mutual's Chicago affiliate, WGN radio, threatened to stop carrying the Weems broadcasts from Chicago's Palmer House if Weems's new singer did not improve. Weems had recordings of some of his previous radio programs; one evening he and Como listened to them, and Como was shocked to realize that no one could make out the words to the songs he was singing. Weems told Como there was no need for him to resort to vocal tricks; what was necessary was to sing from the heart.
Como's first recording with the Weems band was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the Decca Records label in May, 1936. During one of Como's early Decca recording sessions with the Weems orchestra, Weems was told to get rid of "that kid" (Como) because he sounded too much like Bing Crosby, who also recorded for Decca. Before Como could reply, Weems spoke up, saying that Como was part of the session or it was over. By the time Como had been with Ted Weems about a year, he was mentioned in a 1937 Life magazine NBC Radio ad for Fibber McGee and Molly as "causing cardiac flutters with his crooning". The weekly radio show, Beat the Band, which ran on NBC from 1940–1944, was a "stump the band" type musical quiz show where Weems and his orchestra were the featured band from 1940–1941.
Singing career
- Wikipedia article: Perry Como Singing career
Film career
- Wikipedia article: Perry Como Film career
Television career
- Wikipedia article: Perry Como Television career
Personal life
Marriage and family
In 1929, the 17-year-old Como met Roselle Belline at a picnic on Chartiers Creek that attracted many young people from the Canonsburg area. Como, who attended the cookout with another girl, did not spot Roselle until everyone was around the campfire singing and the gathering was coming to a close. When it came Como's turn to sing, he chose "More Than You Know", with his eyes on Roselle for the entire song. They were married July 31, 1933. They raised three children, Ronnie, David, and Terri, with traditional values. Because Como believed his professional life and his personal life should be kept separate, he declined repeated interview requests from Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person.
In 1958, the Comos celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a family trip to Italy. On the itinerary was an audience with Pope Pius XII. Como, who sat in a side wing of the Long Island church where he attended Sunday Mass in an effort to avoid attracting attention, was both puzzled and upset on returning home that photos from the visit made the newspapers throughout the world. A thorough check of both the Como and NBC publicity offices found that neither was responsible for the release of the photos to the media; it was done by the Vatican's press department. When Perry and Roselle became Knight Commander and Lady Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 1952, it was a news item only after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who had been honored at the same ceremony, mentioned it some time later.
Como suffered a debilitating fall from a stage platform in 1971 while taping Perry Como's Winter Show in Hollywood. X-rays showed no serious injury to his knee, but by the next morning, it was swollen to twice its normal size. Como chartered a jet back to his home and doctors in Florida, where a second exam showed it had been seriously broken. His knee was re-set and placed in a cast with a recuperation time of eight months. In 1993, he was successfully treated for bladder cancer. Roselle died suddenly on August 12, 1998, at the age of 84; the couple had been married for 65 years. Como was reportedly devastated by her death.
Public persona
One of the many factors in his success was Como's insistence on his principles of good taste; if he considered something to be in bad or questionable taste, it was not in the show or broadcast. When a remark made by Julius La Rosa about television personality Arthur Godfrey on "The Perry Como Show" was misconstrued, Como offered an on-air apology at the beginning of his next show, against the advice of his staff. While his performance of "Ave Maria" was a tradition of his holiday television programs, Como refused to sing it at live performances, saying, "It's not the time or place to do it", even though it was the number-one request of his audiences.
Another was his naturalness; the man that viewers saw on television every week was the same person who could be encountered behind a supermarket shopping cart, at a bowling alley, or in a kitchen making breakfast.[185][199][200] From his first Chesterfield Supper Club television show, if scripts were written at all, they were based on Como's everyday manner of speaking. Though Como was widely known for his amiability, laid-back and easygoing style, he was not devoid of a temper, and it could be seen at times as a result of the frustrations of daily life. Mitchell Ayres, his musical director from 1948 to 1963 said, "Perry has a temper like everyone else. And he loses his temper at the normal things everyone else does. When we're driving, for instance, and somebody cuts him off, he really lets the offender have it."
Bing Crosby once described Como as "the man who invented casual". His preference for casual clothing did not keep him from being named one of the Best Dressed Men beginning in 1946, and continuing long after Como stopped appearing on weekly television. Como also had his own line of sports/casual men's clothing made by Bucknell c. early 1950s.
Hobbies
Perry was an avid and accomplished golfer; there was always time to try getting in a game of golf. "Perry Como Putters" were sold by MacGregor, each stamped with a Como facsimile autograph. His colleagues held an annual Perry Como Golf Tournament to honor him and his love for the game. Como's guests on the October 3, 1962, broadcast were Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player. The four golfers played 18 holes for the cameras at Sands Point, New York, where the Comos made their home in the television years. Como also enjoyed fishing and he could be found out on his boat almost daily after the family moved to Florida. Perry's catches would usually turn out to be the Como family's dinners. Como also used his boat as a rehearsal hall with pre-recorded instrumental tapes sent to him by RCA Victor. Como would work on material while he was waiting for the fish to bite. Having enjoyed golfing and fishing in the North Carolina mountains for several years, Como built a vacation home in Saluda, North Carolina, in 1980. He discouraged photos of his home, as it was his private place to get away from the celebrity life.
Death
Como died in his sleep on May 12, 2001, at his home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, six days before his 89th birthday. He was reported to have suffered from symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Como's older son, Ronnie, and his daughter, Terri, could not agree on their interpretations of Como's 1999 living will and it became a matter for the courts in the year before his death. His funeral Mass took place at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Florida. Como and his wife, Roselle, are buried at Riverside Memorial Park, Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida.
Honors and tributes
Awards
Como received the 1959 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male; five Emmys from 1955 to 1959; a Christopher Award (1956) and shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002; he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Como has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.
Tributes
In the official RCA Records Billboard memorial, his life was summed up in these words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all." Composer Ervin Drake said of him, "... [o]ccasionally 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."
Hometown honors
Canonsburg has always been very proud to be the birthplace of Perry Como; the local newspaper of the time, Canonsburg Daily Notes, seems to have been the first to write an article about him. Their edition of July 19, 1934, featured a photo and the following: "A young Canonsburg boy threatens to snatch the crown from Bing Crosby's head. Perry Como, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pietro Como of 530 Franklin Ave. is said to have one of the grandest baritone voices in the country." The borough honored him three times over the course of his life.[235] The first of these events took place September 14, 1946, when Third Street, where Perry worked in the barber shop of Steve Fragapane, was renamed "Perry Como Avenue". Perry, Roselle, and Como's mother, Lucy, attended the ceremonies and banquet held at the State Armory.
A second ceremony marking Perry Como Day took place August 24, 1977, but the most ambitious project began in 1997 – a statue of the singer. The planned statue had the blessing of Como's wife, Roselle, who died the year before it was unveiled on May 15, 1999. As part of the festivities, Como's stool and music stand from The Perry Como Show and the equipment he used at Steve Fragapane's barber shop were donated to the borough.[234] Como was not present at the unveiling because of poor health. The inscription on the base, "To This Place God Has Brought Me", was a favorite saying of Como's; the musical feature was added in 2002.
The Como celebration crossed the Atlantic in August 2002. Palena, Italy, the birthplace of Como's parents, had a long-standing week-long festival in honor of the singer. A smaller version of the statue was taken to Palena by the mayor of Canonsburg, Anthony Colaizzo. Perry's son, David, and his wife were also in attendance when the town of Palena renamed a street for Como. Dating from these ceremonies, there is a marble plaque on a Palena town wall stating that Pietro and Lucia Como, parents of Perry Como, emigrated from this village to the United States.
Perry Como never forgot Canonsburg.[242][243] One of the things he did to give a helping hand to his home town was to convince RCA to open a record-pressing plant there. Those who needed to raise funds for local projects like Boys' and Girls' Clubs found him always ready to do whatever was needed.
In 2007, the local McDonald's was rebuilt. The building includes memorabilia of Como and another Canonsburg native, Bobby Vinton. A children's playground in Canonsburg on Giffin Avenue is also named for Como. In downtown Canonsburg, all of the tree grates are marked with information about the records that sold a million copies and the town clock hourly plays one of the hits of Como (141), Vinton (44), or the Four Coins (7), also from Canonsburg.
External links
- Perry Como at the Internet Movie Database
- Perry Como Collection 1955–1994-University of Colorado at Boulder Archives created by Perry Como, Mickey Glass, and Nick Perito
- Perry Como @ Find A Grave
- Wikipedia article: Perry Como
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Note: Perry Como was a volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen |
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