Frankie Avalon

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania September 18th. Frankie’s singing talents were recognized early and his first song “De De Dinah” and later. “Venus” became the first of many smash hits of the era. His talents were in demand as he appeared on television programs hosted by Perry Como, Ed Sullivan, and Dick Clark. His list of […]

Eddie Fisher

Fisher was a ‘bobby sox idol’, one of the most popular US singers of the 50s, with a strong, melodic voice. He sang with the bands of Buddy Morrow and Charlie Ventura at the age of 18, and his nickname was ‘Sonny Boy’ because of his affection for Al Jolson songs.
In 1949 he gained […]

Doris Day

Doris Day made 39 films, beginning in 1948, with “Romance on the High Seas.” She also had two television series, “The Doris Day Show” for CBS (1969-1973), and “Doris Day’s Best Friends,” which ran on CBN Cable Network/Family Channel in 1985 and 1986.
Scores of scripts and movie, television and singing offers continue to be submitted […]

Charles Magnante

Charles Magnante was born in New York City on 106th Street in an area known as Harlem. From very humble roots his unique career placed him on the pinnacle of accordion history. No one has ever equaled his success as the ultimate world accordion artist.
Throughout his long and fantastic career, Magnante has consistently been […]

Al Caiola

Al Caiola was the “first call” guitarist in New York City for over thirty years and a prolific studio musician.
Caiola served in the Marines during World War Two, where he played alongside Bob Crosby and toured much of the Pacific Theater, until the bandmembers were assigned to active combat in the assault on […]

Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet took Broadway by storm and won the Theatre World Award with his debut as Sir Lancelot in the original Camelot (1960) also starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews and achieved instant recognition as one of the American Theater’s most charismatic and talented musical stars. He was considered one of the greatest baritones of […]

Perry Como

One of the most popular vocalists between the end of World War II and the rise of rock & roll in the mid-’50s, Perry Como perfected the post-big band approach to pop music by
lending his own irresistible laidback singing — influenced by Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo — to the popular hits of the […]

Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza was born in South Philadelphia, Pa. as Alfredo Arnold Cocozza on January 31,1921. Antonio Cocozza, Mario’s father, was born in Filignano, Italy and emigrated to the U.S. when he was just 16 years old. He later served in the US Army Infantry and was severely wounded in the battle of the Meuse-Argonne Forest. […]

Louis Prima

Of all the musical giants of the past seven decades, specifically since the days of the big swing bands and Dixieland jazz, there is one who stands out amongst them all as the greatest contributor towards modern music and the course it eventually took. His name is Louis Prima and it all started when he […]

Lou Monte

Lou Monte, an Italian-American of Calabrian heritage, was born as Louis Scaglione on April 2, 1917 in Manhattan, New York. He played the guitar and started singing as a child beginning his professional career as a singer, comedian, and musician as a young man just prior to World War II. After a stretch in the […]

« go back — keep looking »

© 2009 Songs Of Italy