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Perry Como music biography continued...

Perry was the son of Pietro Como, a mill hand, and Lucia Travaglini Como, immigrants from Palena, Italy. The seventh of thirteen children, Como set himself apart early by performing at wedding receptions and other functions and gaining local recognition for his singing ability. Vacationing in Cleveland in 1933, Como auditioned for Freddie Carlone's band and was hired at twenty-five dollars a week. For the remainder of the 1930s Como served as the featured vocalist for two orchestras and as a singer on a highly popular weekly radio program. In 1946 Como was named top-selling male singer by Billboard .Como got another big break in 1950, when he signed with CBS to host his own television program. In 1955 he went back to NBC, starring in the weekly Perry Como Show, later titled The Kraft Music Hall. He remained with NBC until 1963, where he became known as a pioneer in the television variety show genre and a super successful recording artist. Along with nonsense tunes like "Hot Diggity Dog Ziggity Boom," lighthearted songs like "Papa Loves Mambo," and even a rock-and-roll number, "Juke Box Baby," he left an enduring legacy as an interpreter of the romantic ballad, with such evergreens as "Dream Along with Me," "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," "Temptation," "Because," "Till the End of Time" and "Prisoner of Love." Often accompanied by the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers, Como sold more than one hundred million records and had fourteen tunes that were ranked number one musical hits.



As late as 1973 Como received a Grammy award nomination as best male pop vocalist for "And I Love You So." His achievements during the rock-and-roll era, when ballad crooners were falling by the wayside, were particularly remarkable. Perry Como died in his sleep on May 12, 2001, but not before his singing style had evolved into the popular musical form called easy listening, influencing a generation of performers, as well as music lovers.