Perry Como

Artist Image: Perry Como
Attribution
Image Credit: NBC Television ( photo front photo back), Public domain

Biography

Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and 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. Como was seen weekly on television from 1949 to 1963, then continued hosting the Kraft Music Hall variety program on a monthly basis until 1967. His television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. Also a popular recording artist, Perry Como produced numerous hit records; his combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time. Como's 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. An example to all." Composer Ervin Drake said of him, "... 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." 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 poor 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 viewers saw on the screen was the same person who could be encountered behind a supermarket shopping cart, at a bowling alley, or in a kitchen making breakfast. From his first Chesterfield Supper Club television show, if scripts were written at all, they were based on the way Como would say something. Como was not devoid of a temper, and it could be seen at times as a result of the frustrations of daily life. His music director from 1948 – 1963, Mitchell Ayres, 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." 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.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1933
Number of Albums 37
Record Label RCA
Website
Wikipedia Perry Como on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

When did Perry start working in a barbershop?

10

...rked in a mill. His mother was named Lucia Travaglini Como. At the age of 10 Perry started working in a barbershop after school. He quickly learned ho...
How many other barbers did Perry have working for him?

two

...ow to cut hair. By the time he was 14 he owned his own barbershop. He had two other barbers working for him. Perry was still going to high school duri...
What year was Pierino Como born?

1913

...Born Pierino Como, May 18, 1913 , in Canonsburg, PA; son of Pietro (a mill hand) and Lucille Como; married Roselle Beline, 1933; children: Ronald, Davi...
What year did Perry Como receive the first gold disc awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America for his ballad Catch?

1958

...elle Beline, 1933; children: Ronald, David (adopted), Teri (adopted). In 1958 Perry Como received the first gold disc ever awarded by the Recording In...
What was the name of Perry Como's ballad?

Catch a Falling Star

... by the Recording Industry Association of America for his ballad Catch a Falling Star . Como's star itself has never really fallen. Even greyhaired and...
How many Como records were pressed in one week in 1946?

four million

...e was half a century agoduring the 1940s. In 1946, for example, some four million Como records were pressed during one week. Ten years later, 11 of hi...
How many of Como's singles sold over a million copies in 10 years?

11

... four million Como records were pressed during one week. Ten years later, 11 of his singles had sold over a million copies each. He started working ea...
Como started working early in life, owning what business by age 14?

barbershop

...million copies each. He started working early in life, owning his own barbershop by age 14 in his hometown of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. At his father'...
At what age did Como own his own barbershop?

14

... each. He started working early in life, owning his own barbershop by age 14 in his hometown of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. At his father's urging, he c...
What was the name of his childhood sweetheart?

Roselle Belline

...o Cleveland. On July 31, 1933, he married his childhood sweetheart, Roselle Belline . In 1937, he joined the Ted Weems Band where he earned 50 per week...
What band did he join in 1937?

Ted Weems Band

...d his childhood sweetheart, Roselle Belline. In 1937, he joined the Ted Weems Band where he earned 50 per week. With the Weems Band he toured, was voc...
When did the Weems Band break up?

1942

...e Decca label, and made his radio debut. When the Weems Band broke up in 1942 , Como returned to Canonsburg expecting to resume his barber business. Ho...
How much did Como pay for his own radio show?

100 per week

...Corporation contacted him, and he was offered his own radio show for 100 per week and an RCA Victor recording contract. Chesterfield Cigarettes was Co...
What was Como's first radio sponsor?

Chesterfield Cigarettes

...dio show for 100 per week and an RCA Victor recording contract. Chesterfield Cigarettes was Como's first radio sponsor, and sponsored his radio shows ...
How many years did Mr. C. record exclusively for RCA Victor?

44

...ning 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 ...
When did he sign with the label?

1943

...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 ...
Who pioneered the intimate, easylistening genre of music?

Bing Crosby

...ngs in the intimate, easylistening genre pioneered by multimedia star Bing Crosby . Mr. C., as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered...
How many records did Mr. C. sell?

millions

...ered by multimedia star Bing Crosby. Mr. C., as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His...
How many Emmys did Como receive from 1955 to 1959?

five

... these few words: 50 years of music and a life well lived. Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, and a Christopher Award in 1956. He also shared...
What award did Coma receive in 1956?

Christopher Award

...life well lived. Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, and a Christopher Award in 1956. He also shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie G...
Como shared a Peabody Award with whom?

Jackie Gleason

...pher Award in 1956. He also shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollyw...
How many stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame does Peacock have?

three

...ith good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, ...
In what year was Como born?

1912

...ugh Como's appeal during the early '50s was virtually unrivaled. Born in 1912 in Canonsburg, PA, Como was working as a singing barber in his hometown ...
What was Ted Weems & His Orchestra's radio show called?

Beat the Band

...ith Ted Weems & His Orchestra, who headed a popular radio show named Beat the Band . After the orchestra broke up in 1942, Como hosted a regional CBS r...
What radio show did Como host after the orchestra broke up in 1942?

Supper Club

... broke up in 1942, Como hosted a regional CBS radio show later called Supper Club . The show's success gained him a contract with RCA Victor Records by...
Como signed a contract with which record label in 1943?

RCA Victor Records

...called Supper Club. The show's success gained him a contract with RCA Victor Records by 1943, and he also began working in Hollywood with Something fo...
What film was Perry Como's real big break?

A Song to Remember

...for the Boys. Perry Como's real big break came with the 1945 film A Song to Remember . His rendition of Till the End of Time spent ten weeks at the top...
How long did Comos rendition of Till the End of Time stay at the top of the charts?

ten weeks

...5 film A Song to Remember. His rendition of Till the End of Time spent ten weeks at the top of the charts and became the biggest hit of the year. Como...
What was the biggest hit of the year?

Till the End of Time

...eak came with the 1945 film A Song to Remember. His rendition of Till the End of Time spent ten weeks at the top of the charts and became the biggest ...
Como's dreamy baritone worked especially well on ballads, such as Prisoner of Love, Surrender, and what other number one hit?

ChiBaba, ChiBaba (My Bambino Go to Sleep).

...1947 number one hits Prisoner of Love, Surrender, and ChiBaba, ChiBaba (My Bambino Go to Sleep). Hired by NBC for another radio show in 1948, Como cro...
How many Emmy awards did his show earn him?

four

...emerging medium of television that same year with the Chesterfield Supper Club. The show quickly took off, and eventually earned him four Emmy Awards....
What was the name of Como's television show in 1948?

Chesterfield Supper Club

...r to the emerging medium of television that same year with the Chesterfield Supper Club . The show quickly took off, and eventually earned him four Emm...
How long did Perry Como's career span?

over six decades

...In a singing (and sometimes acting) career that spanned over six decades , the name Perry Como has come to mean that warm, smooth, easylistening, gener...
What was Perry's name used for in popular music in the 1940s, '50s and '60s?

romance

...me to mean that warm, smooth, easylistening, generalaudience, slowflame romance that characterized popular music in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. It has a...
How many Como records did the music industry sell in the 1940s?

4 million

...g just a single week in the 1940s, the music industry pressed and sold 4 million Como records. In the 1950s, 11 of his singles sold well over 1 millio...
Where was Como raised?

Canonsburg, Pa.,

... prints reached the millionrecord mark. Christened Pierino Como in Canonsburg, Pa., and one of a family of 13 children, Como pursued a career as a bar...
How many children did Como have?

13

... mark. Christened Pierino Como in Canonsburg, Pa., and one of a family of 13 children, Como pursued a career as a barber before he launched his singin...
What career did he pursue before launching his singing career?

barber

...rg, Pa., and one of a family of 13 children, Como pursued a career as a barber before he launched his singing career. At 11, he was working after scho...
What was the name of his high school sweetheart?

Roselle Beline

...n after high school and his marriage to his high school sweetheart, Roselle Beline . It didn't take long to prove that he had talent and soon landed a ...
How many weeks a week did Freddie spend touring the Midwest?

28

... It didn't take long to prove that he had talent and soon landed a spot in the Freddie Carlone Orchestra, where he made 28 a week touring the Midwest....