Perry Como ~
Talking Points

The Early Years

Perry  was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on May 18, 1912. 

He's the seventh son, of a seventh son, legendary marks of good luck. 

Born to Italian immigrants, Pietro and Lucia Como, who settled in the small Pennsylvania mining town, he was the first of their thirteen children to be a citizen of the United States by birth.

It's a well known bit of show business fact that Perry's first ambition was to be the best barber in Canonsburg. At 14, he was apprenticed to Steve Fragapane who taught him the trade of the shears, and Perry soon opened his own shop as an after-school money maker. With two assistants and a guitar he turned it into a profitable enterprise which he took over on a full-time basis after high school graduation. The miners would come out of the pits on Saturday night, black with coal dust, eager for everything from a shave to a manicure and Perry built his little shop into a $125 a week net profit. It was a small town store where he knew all his customers by name, where it wasn't strange for a barber to sing while clipping hair or stop to strum a guitar because he was in the mood. Life was good, his business was good, he was the local talent in the community, and in 1933 Perry went to Cleveland on a well-earned vacation.

1933

While in Cleveland his friends urged him to audition for Freddy Carlone's band a band known to the local spots throughout Ohio. Doing it more as a concession to his friends than a desire to get into show business, Perry auditioned for Carlone and returned to Canonsburg. A few weeks later he received a wire urgently requesting that he join the band as soon as possible. It was a hard decision for the young barber for the shop was bringing in a $125 a week. The depression years had just begun and security was a hopeless word. But his parents convinced him that he could always pick up where he left off should the singing business fold. And on this reservation Perry joined the ranks of young boys who sang with bands for $28 a week.

On July 31, 1933, he married his childhood sweetheart, Roselle Belline. Perry met Roselle Belline at a wiener roast on the banks of Chartiers Creek in Pennsylvania. She was a local girl. They were married July 31, 1933, when he was 21 years old.

During the next two years Perry built up a following in the Cleveland area and became a small name among the guys and dolls who paused to listen in front of the bandstand. He had to learn poise, the intricacies of sheet music, and adjust to the strange nighttime life of a musician. They played such spots as the Crystal Slipper and Danceland Ballroom the kind of places that have their counterparts throughout the country. It was during these early days in Cleveland that the young novice met the great Russ Columbo who was then playing at the Golden Pheasant with his orchestra. Russ was the king of the crooners in those days and Perry and he became friends, never dreaming that one day his recording of Columbo's famous "Prisoner of Love" would become one of the biggest sellers in music history.

1936

Ted Weems and his band were in their prime in the mid-thirties and when the young singer was brought to his attention, he offered Perry a job. His salary was an overwhelming $50 a week. Bands were hot. The Millers, the Dorseys, the Goodmans were the No. 1 box office attractions and the only chance a singer had was to draw a spot with a big band. The Weems tie-up marked Perry's first tentative steps toward the top. It was with Weems that Perry was introduced to the nerve-wracking grind of one-night stands throughout the country. He made his radio debut and the name "Perry Como" was now on record labels as "vocalist." There was usually a gal singer with the group, one of whom was Marvel Maxwell, later known to moviegoers as Marilyn Maxwell. With Weems, Perry reached Broadway and the great presentation houses. He recalls one momentous engagement at the New York Strand when the band shared the bill with Ann Sheridan who, in those days, was riding a crest as the nation's "oomph" girl. As far as Perry Como was concerned, this was the "big-time!"

A chronological list of songs Perry recorded with Ted Weems' band
between May 15, 1936 and December 9, 1941

George T. Simon on "Ted Weems"

1942

In '42 the Weems band broke up and Perry was weary of traveling. His home life was a haphazard thing. Since the birth of their first child, Ronnie, in 1940, Roselle had been forced to remain in Canonsburg. He was concerned about his future and eager to live a normal quiet life and this meant a good location for another barber shop. The long distance phone calls and wires started pouring in from booking agents, managers and band leaders, but Perry turned down the offers and continued to negotiate with a local real estate agent for a store lease. General Artists Corporation called while Perry was dickering about the shop rental. Their deal was his own sustaining radio show at $100 a week and an RCA Victor recording contract. He would be a sole singer and not part of a band package. But it was Roselle who persuaded him with the old clincher, "You can always get another barber shop if it doesn't work out!"

1943

It wasn't long before Perry hit New York as a personality. The singer craze was on and Frank Sinatra, who was then holding court at the Riobamba nightclub, had started a new surge of shrieks, sighs and swoons! Perry was booked into the Versailles and Copacabana nightclubs. He stopped the show each night. Word got around that the Copa would need rubber walls to hold the Perry Como stampede. Then came the Paramount Theatre engagement and the teenagers stood for hours in lines that circled the block three deep. Those who had known him as Ted Weems' vocalist woke up one morning to find that Perry Como was one of the hottest properties in show business.

It was Tom Rockwell, head of the then-famous Rockwell-O’Keefe agency that later became General Artists Corporation, who helped Perry make the transition from a band singer to a solo career which would last for more than half a century.  It was Rockwell who a decade earlier had helped another young singer named Bing Crosby move away from Paul Whiteman’s band and into the solo arena. Perry recalled Rockwell with fondness. "He was more than an agent. He was a friend who cared about music and people. The first time he asked me to come to New York I said "no" because I thought he was just going to put me with another band, and I’d had enough of those one-niters. But then when I told Tommy what I really wanted to do — to go out on my own — he got busy and got me a late-afternoon sustaining radio show of my own on CBS."

Following his 1943 sustaining series on CBS, he became the star of the "Chesterfield Supper Club," a five-times-a-week, fifteen-minute program on which for a time he shared equal billing with Jo Stafford. Rockwell wielded enough clout to secure other important engagements for his new client: theaters, including the all-important New York Paramount; clubs, including New York’s prestigious Copacabana, and, most importantly of all, a recording contract with RCA Victor Records.

Perry's first recording contract with RCA Victor was signed summer of 1943:

"There was one big drawback, though: The musicians union had called a strike against the recording companies, so that on his first dates Perry had none of the sort of instrumental musical backing he had grown used to. Instead, he was given merely voices. The records were described as "Voca-dance," that emoted occasional "ooh-wahs" in the background. 

Perry's first nine RCA tracks were recorded at RCA Victor Studios 1 &  2, New York City, between June 20, 1943 and June 27, 1944, during the American Federation of Musicians ( AFM ) recording ban, all of which were a cappella with  mixed chorus only.  | Expand |

1944

Perry, who in later years earned a reputation of being unflappable, must certainly have acquired the attribute during his first year as a solo artist, forced by circumstance to make all of his early recordings a cappella when previously he had always been supported with orchestration.  He also had to adapt from traveling on the road and singing with a band to the quicker paced life of radio broadcasting. Chesterfield Cigarettes was Perry's first radio sponsor and remained with him through the years, a relationship unusual in a business of short-lived romances, until his switch to NBC in September of 1955. After a year of sustaining ( in 1943 ) Chesterfield signed Perry in 1944 to a fifteen minute show five nights a week on NBC. In 1945 it was changed to a thrice-weekly stanza and during the 1949-50 season Perry and Chesterfield did a half hour radio show and a half hour television show weekly. He switched to full time television in 1950 for CBS-TV, thrice weekly, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, at 7:45 to 8:00 p.m. His casual manner, sharp showmanship, and good looks took to television as if it were made for him. Surveys boasted that the fifteen minute Perry Como Show was viewed in approximately fifteen million homes.

Also in 1944 Perry went to Hollywood where he co-starred with Vivian Blaine, Phil Silvers and Carmen Miranda in his first movie for 20th Century Fox titled "Something for the Boys." In 1946 he followed with "Doll Face" and "If I'm Lucky." In 1948 he was chosen to appear with the all-star cast of MGM's musical "Words and Music." By his own admission, Perry was never cut out to be an actor and his dislike of the actor's life was even greater than his dislike of traveling on the road and singing with a band. Perry wanted to be in show business but he also wanted to be near his home where he might lead a conventional life. As hectic as it may be in New York, he was still able to work and maintain a semblance of family life.

1945 ~ 1946

The year 1945 turned out to be a bellwether year for Perry to chart the future course of his recording career. His first recordings with full orchestration were done in December of 1944 beginning an interesting trend of recording during the twelfth month of the year which would follow him throughout his life.  While his earliest recordings were moderately successful, it is very difficult to determine whether their greatest popularity was prior or after the fact of his recording classic hits such as "Temptation" and "Till the End of Time" in 1945.  It was during this year that he established a record by selling more than a million copies of "Till the End of Time." During a single week in 1946 four-million Como recordings were turned out, surpassing the output of any artist in the history of record-making to that time.

It was estimated during this period that on a yearly basis, Como sold more than four million records annually. A great many of his platters have sold more than a million copies each. A record sales-total rare in music annals ditto his long association with one company, RCA Victor. 

Beginning May 19th, 1945, one day after Perry's thirty-third birthday, through to the summer of 1946, he established a firm association with Russ Case who wielded the baton for a string of no fewer than thirty-one tracks the majority of which were classic hits by any reasonable measure.  | Expand |

The final eight tracks of this initial association with Russ Case were part of a very special session recorded between the 1st and 22nd of August, 1946, when Perry recorded his first set of Christmas songs. In 1947 he would record one additional Christmas song, the popular Irving Berlin composition "White Christmas", which displaced his recording of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" within single releases and the original 78 RPM Musical Smart Set compilation "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" but this classic collection of Christmas songs would continue to be re-released in every popular recording format for the remainder of the century and throughout the world. An additional collection of Christmas songs would be recorded in 1953 and later added to this compilation but these sessions were the first of what would become a long and cherished tradition of Perry's association with the festive Christmas Season 

1947

Beginning October, 1946, through December and the summer of 1947, Perry recorded another string of successful songs with the resident orchestral leader of his popular radio series "The Chesterfield Supper Club" a man named Lloyd Shaffer.  Many of the songs included the popular singing trio "The Satisfiers" who along with an additional lead singer Helen Carroll formed the vocal backup of Perry's now popular radio show.  As usual, all of Perry's recordings during this period were very successful but of particular interest was the double-sided hit "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" and "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" both of which were produced by Charles Grean who was destined to be involved with Perry to the end of 1959. It has been said that Walt Disney was so taken with Perry's performance and the popularity of "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba", which he heard while driving in his car through New York City, that this is what inspired him to have Perry record a number of Disney songs during the years which followed. The success of this novelty song obviously inspired Perry, and the song's producer Charles Grean, to record a string of novelty material which Perry was often reluctant to acknowledge, in mock protest, but the evidence suggests he enjoyed every minute of their recording.

Between October, 1946, and July, 1947, Perry recorded fourteen tracks with Lloyd Shaffer conducting. Shaffer was the resident conductor with Perry's radio show during this period. | Expand |

Perry recorded 31 additional tracks with Russ Case during the later half of 1947. While these songs did not lack for success, they failed to achieve the same level of commercial acceptance as the previous years.  Many of the songs were released later as flip-sides to other songs. | Expand |

1947 was destined to be for Perry the beginning of the end of an era and the preparation for what was to come. During the coming year, Perry was involved with what would be his last motion picture, a musical titled "Words and Music", celebrating the life of Rodgers and Hart, but this would signal the end of Perry's interest in the "movies" and his contract would be terminated with mutual consent. It was clear that Perry's heart was not in the making of movies, it was not a life he aspired to, and he had no real interest in being an actor.  On the other hand, there must also have been an awareness within the industry in preparing for the coming of television the significance of which may not have been fully comprehended by Perry personally but certainly was not lost on those who were to guide him through the duration of 1948. Perry's career activities following 1947 appear similar to the hiatus he would again take following the end of his weekly television series in 1963 during which he did not record for almost two years. During 1948 he completed his obligation for "Words and Music"  but the absence of recording appears to have more meaning than that alone.

1948

December 2, 1948

Perry's first recording with "The Fontane Sisters" who were actually three sisters named Marge, Bea and Geri Rosse. These girls were obviously being auditioned to back him vocally for the new television version of his popular radio show which would debut on Christmas Eve of this month.  

The song they recorded was a novelty  titled "N'Yot N'Yow ( The Pussycat Song )" by lyricist Dick Manning performed a cappella The only instrumentation was a ukulele played by Jack Lathrope and a very brief comedic vocal fillip with background singers  Rudy Williams, Carter Farriss, Glen Cross and Jimmy Ballister.

Dick Manning would compose thirteen songs recorded by Perry throughout the next twenty years.  

The Fontane Sisters audition was produced by Charles Grean who would be closely involved with Perry and his recordings from this point on through to the end of 1959.

Although it was never acknowledged, the three Fontane Sisters were likely chosen for their good looks in addition to their musical abilities. The new medium of television brought with it a whole new dimension of considerations.  Perry offered a level of notoriety to these three girls that they probability could not have achieved as quickly or as effectively in their own right. They formed an integral part of his popular songs for more than five years and appeared as regulars on his television shows. | Expand |

December 17 and 23, 1948

This month in 1948 would also introduce Perry to another person who was destined to become significant throughout the remainder of his career.  Ray Charles met Perry for the first time in late December during the recording of "Blue Room" and "With a Song in My Heart" two songs featured within the movie musical "Words and Music" which Perry had just completed but recorded independently for RCA Victor. Both songs were also produced by Charles Grean and a man named J. Burgess. 

Ray Charles said that he was initially a little intimidated by Perry, a man who even at that time had achieved the status of a so-called super-star, saying, "he didn't strike me as someone you could tell what to do, " but then quipped, "he got used to it!" The name "Ray Charles" is commonly found within the general vocal backup singers following this period and eventually, of course, as choral director for what became known as "The Ray Charles Singers" which followed as Perry's primary vocal backup after The Fontane Sisters.  

December 24, 1948

Perry's first television show and "Christmas Special" debuted Christmas Eve, 1948.

1949 ~ 1950

During the 1949-50 season Perry and Chesterfield did a half hour radio show and a half hour television show weekly. He switched to full time television in 1950 for CBS-TV, thrice weekly, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, at 7:45 to 8:00 p.m.  

January 13, 1949

January of 1949 brought the introduction of Mitchell Ayres with a double charting single  "Forever and Ever" and "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore"

Mitchell Ayres became Perry's conductor of choice for virtually every recording he made between January 1949 and March of 1963 when he ended his weekly television series. On a very few occasions the orchestral backing for Perry's recordings were handled by Hugo Winterhalter or Henri René but those were likely instances when Ayres was unavailable for good reasons.  The existence of a so-called Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra was a popular myth. The musicians were generally the same no matter who the conductor might be despite credits leading one to believe the orchestras to be that of Ayres, Winterhalter, René, Shaffer or even Russ Case. These men simply conducted a group of contracted musicians, very often the same union musicians who played for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett or anyone else who offered the work in New York City.  If Mitchell Ayres conducted these musicians in the morning then it was "Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra", and if Hugo Winterhalter picked up the baton in the afternoon then it was "Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra". Many of these musicians were the same people from the time of Perry's earliest recordings in the 1940s through to the time of their own retirement in the 1960s or even later.  

The move to television also coincided with RCA Victor's introduction of their new format 7" vinyl record, turning at 45 revolutions per minute, in competition with the Columbia 10" Long Play record, in what would begin the so-called "War of the Speeds" in the race toward a higher fidelity record and the hearts and minds of consumer acceptance.  The Columbia LP at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute offered longer playing times whereas the RCA small record offered greater convenience. The battle would continue well into the mid fifties with RCA Victor offering extended play versions of their format and boxed sets to compete with the Columbia album concept. 

Perry's records were among the first RCA Victor offerings within this new format but they also offered the perfect opportunity to re-release many of his older hit records such as "Till the End of Time" and "Prisoner of Love" capitalizing on the consumer demand for this improved format.  The timing for Perry couldn't be better in conjunction with the escalating popularity of his new television show. The introduction of new songs on Perry's shows where the audience could see and hear the performers added a completely new dimension to the marketing of popular music and either by happenstance or by genius Perry found himself at the forefront of this developing technology.  Perry's newest pop songs were cleverly mixed with the older evergreens and RCA Victor were able to sell back catalogue recordings and new ones equally well in several different formats: the original 78 RPM single and Musical Smart Sets, the 45 RPM single and special 45 RPM Extended Play albums, box sets of the same, in addition to their own version of the 10" long play record. 

September 30, 1949

Produced by Charles Grean with assistance by Ray Charles, Perry recorded "Ave Maria" and "The Lord's Prayer"  on location at The Church of Incarnation, New York City.  It's not clear whose idea this was but the recordings were very successful and, strangely, both charted for Perry.  Perry recorded a series of traditional hymns and "Songs of All Faiths" between 1949 and 1959 all of which were produced by Grean involving the same principals including Ray Charles and Mitchell Ayres. In 1959 Perry duplicated the same two hymns he recorded in 1949 but this time with the Male Voices of the Robert Shaw Chorale and in full stereophonic high fidelity sound. 

June 26th & 29th, and July 6th, 1950

Perry's first album sessions, produced by Charles Grean, for other songs of worship and what later were described as "Songs of All Faiths", were recorded at the Academy of Arts & Letters, again in New York City, during the summer of 1950.  In 1956, two of these hymns plus the original 1949 recordings were combined with Perry's 1953 album "I Believe"  to form the RCA Victor 12" LP "I Believe" which remained in tact for thirty more years prior to the introduction of the compact disc. The remainder of the hymns, not included within the 1956 compilation, were later released within the 1969 RCA Camden compilation "The Lord's Prayer" ( including 1959 versions of "Ave Maria" and "The Lord's Prayer" ) and this compilation continues to be available on music cassette.

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December 05, 1950

Perry records two songs conducted by the well-known composer / conductor Sigmund Romberg produced by a Mr. Bergman and Hugo Winterhalter.  One of the songs "Zing Zing - Zoom Zoom" was composed by Romberg with lyrics by Charles Tobias, obviously written specially for Perry, charted at No. 12 but it was the flip-side "If" which over-shadowed and was reported to have earned Perry another "Gold" record but it's success was never formally acknowledged. The other song conducted by Romberg was "Black Moonlight" an equally unconventional song for Perry released more than two years later as the flip-side to "I Concentrate On You" and included within his first 10" LP "TV Favorites".

September 12, 1950

Perry records two songs with "Betty Hutton"  at RCA Victor's Studio 2, New York City.   The two songs were the first in a series of a dozen or more recorded duets ( some unreleased ) which continued through to 1955 pairing Perry with other RCA Victor label mates.

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1951 ~ 1955

March 4th, 11th & 13th, 1952  

Perry records his first full album of original songs for the long play format record introduced and promoted by Columbia Records in competition to the RCA Victor 45 Extended Play box-set album format. RCA had still not yielded the "War of the Speeds" to Columbia but the writing was on the wall.

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September 9, 1952

Perry's final recording with the Fontane Sisters titled "To Know You ( Is to Love You )" but he did perform a cameo within one of their last RCA Victor singles titled "Kissing Bridge" recorded at some point during the summer of 1953. Why it was the three girls and Perry separated has never been disclosed but it probably has something to do with wanting to establish their own identity as recording artists. The three sisters moved to a competitive label where they achieved a few hit records in their own right but their popularity waned within a fewer number of years than they had recorded with Perry.  Ironically, the three girls had been given the opportunity of recordings which in all probability would never have been available to them, nor in the same timely manner, as when they were recording with Perry between 1948 and 1953.  A  simple review of these songs suggests that  many of them had likely been offered to Perry for which he either passed on them or allowed the girls to record on their own.  There are many examples but one charming song was Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart" which they actually recorded during a Como session with a greater poignancy than anything they ever recorded again but, of course, that's very much a subjective assessment.

November 4, 1952

Perry experiments in two recordings with back-up vocals by a group known as the "Ramblers" and achieved unexpected success with the Slim Willett country / hillbilly song "Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes".  Produced by Dave Kapp and conducted by Hugo Winterhalter, the group also performed on the flip-side with both sides charting but the Willett song achieving greatest attention.  He also charted with two more songs recorded with this group, only one of which was produced by Kapp.  Perry reportedly didn't get along with Dave Kapp and so production changed to Joe Carlton for his singles from this point on.

May 5th ~ June 22nd, 1953

Perry records his second Christmas collection of songs, "Around the Christmas Tree", recorded as an album, the first being "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" which was first assembled in 1946. Recorded in 1953, the new album surprisingly excluded several Christmas songs recorded previously and released as singles plus a very interesting recording of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, recorded during these same sessions.  In 1956, the collection was combined with the earlier set to form Perry's first full RCA Victor 12" LP Christmas album. This album was reissued under the budget RCA Camden label in 1961 less one additional song, "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town".

August 31, 1953

On August 31, 1953, Perry returned to radio with a taped version of his fifteen minute television show. Sponsored again by Chesterfield, it was heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, at 7:45 p.m. and then switched over to CBS on the same days at 9:00 p.m.

Perry received the 1953 Interfaith Award for his "unselfish devotion, his humanitarian endeavors . . . and wholehearted service in the advancement of the principles of Interfaith . . ."

August 31, 1953

Perry's first recording officially credited with The Ray Charles Singers. "Papa Loves Mambo" and its flip-side "The Things I Didn't Do" following which Ray Charles became his official choral director for virtually all New York based recordings throughout the remainder of his career.  

September 24th ~ November 23rd, 1953

Perry's first full album of original recordings as "Songs of All Faiths" was recorded and released in 1953 on the 10" LP format. These eight hymns were later combined with four others in 1956 to form the 12" format LP which remained on release for more than thirty years. Included within this compilation were two Hebrew / Yiddish songs which were well received by members of the Jewish faith and performed with regularity at appropriate times on Perry's popular television show. The inclusion of these two songs was a clear indication of the breadth of acceptance for Perry's inspirational songs. Even though he was clearly known to be a devout Roman Catholic, Perry was widely accepted by people of all faiths.  

1955 ~ 1960

January, 1955

RCA Victor purchased the Webster Hall facilities which would become one of their pre-eminent recording studios and Perry's recordings were among the first to be recorded there. 

Perry's very first song recorded at Webster Hall was on the 4th day of January, 1955, and another rather unconventional song titled "Ko-Ko-Mo ( I Love You So )" arranged by Joe Reisman and produced by Joe Carlton with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers.  The song turned out to be yet another runaway hit for Perry and is generally considered to be RCA Victor's first "Rock 'n Roll" record, an unlikely song by an unlikely singer within an unlikely category.  The song itself was another seeming example of a Como song achieving enormous commercial success despite the mock chagrin of Perry although his feelings with respect to this tune were likely justified.  It never appeared within the album of Perry's well-know compilation "Como's Golden Records" nor any later RCA Victor "label" compilation. 

January 20th & 25th, February 8th, 17th & 22nd, 1955

Perry's first full length RCA Victor album recorded specifically for the 12" LP format titled "So Smooth" with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers recorded at the new Webster Hall studios. The album would be released in September of this year. 

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The successful matching of Joe Reisman with Joe Carlton, Mitchell Ayres and Ray Charles, would continue throughout the remainder of the 1950s excepting only Perry's final recordings of 1959 which were handled directly by Charles Grean in partnership with Lee Schapiro.  

The so-called "War of the Speeds" essentially ended in 1955 between RCA Victor and Columbia Records even though the competing formats would continue throughout the remainder of the decade.  The new RCA  7" record would become the choice for single releases and the Columbia LP would become the choice for albums but 1955 would see the 10" LP expanded to the 12" LP standard which would continue throughout the remainder of the century.

May, 1955

In May of 1955 Perry signed an unprecedented firm 12 year fifteen million-dollar contract with NBC-TV. The deal called for a one-hour show to be seen on Saturdays at 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Perry Como Show had its premiere on September 17, 1955. Its success was nothing less than phenomenal and Perry's talents as an all round showman were confirmed.

Perry was consistently voted the most popular male vocalist in polls throughout the United States and with the advent of his new TV show, he quickly became the most popular television personality. His fan clubs covered the globe. Despite the fact that Perry didn't rely on cross-country tours, theatre engagements, nightclubs and movies, all of which he claimed might keep him away from his family, he joined the chosen few known as all-time greats in show business.

Perry's new  television show was slated on Saturday nights beginning a half hour before Jackie Gleason's "The Honeymooners" which was generally considered to be the stiffest competition Perry could possibly face.  The headlines in the press referred to this match as "The Battle of the Giants" with two of the most popular shows on American television pitted head to head in a ratings face-off. 

When Gleason had signed an eleven million-dollar contract with CBS just months prior to the Como contract, it was described as "the biggest news on television row in years." Perry's larger contract, on the other hand, received very little publicity. "I told my press agent to send out a news item and let it go at that," Perry explained, "I was thinking of little-fellows like I used to be. They'd sit in front of their TV set and say , 'Okay, Como, let's see what makes you worth all that dough.' "

Perry had been a very reluctant combatant within this so-called "Battle of the Giants"  and because of this it's not surprising that there were few media reports of the final victor which happened to be none other than him.  To make matters even more interesting, Perry and Gleason were actually good friends who enjoyed the fun of chiding each other as the ratings war moved back and forth between the two of them week to week. In fact, Perry hadn't even wanted to compete with Gleason, preferring instead to take on Ed Sullivan's popular, but weaker, "Toast of the Town" on Sunday nights, which came to be known simply as "The Ed Sullivan Show".  However, Perry's advisors convinced him to take on the top-rated show starring Gleason and their confidence in him proved justified.  In 1959 Perry signed a multi-million contract with Kraft Foods which was so large that it made the Guinness Book of World Records but, not surprisingly, Perry's press agents were instructed by their boss to play the story lightly. Perry's television show became known as "The Perry Como Kraft Music Hall" and his association with Kraft products would continue for many years even following the end of his weekly television series in 1963. 

June 18th, 1956 & February 12th & 19th, 1957

Perry begins experimental recording sessions for his second feature length 12" long-play album in June of 1956. The album is produced by Ed Welker and recorded in a very low-key manner at RCA Victor Studio's 2 & 3, New York City, with a very small group of studio musicians. The final album release refers to the musicians as "Como's Little Combo", a special section of Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra, directed by Mitchell Ayres.  In fact, however, the orchestration is comprised of a small group of approximately seven musicians contracted by Henry "Hank" Ross. Hank Ross was a saxophone player who had played within various orchestras supporting dating back to 1945.  The musicians appear to be Como favourites, including Ross himself, and the album they created "We Get Letters" evolved over several months and completed in February of 1957 for release in September of that year.  This turned out to be one of Perry's most respected theme albums but the format was never again repeated. The majority of tracks are believed to have been recorded in binaural stereo but it has only been released in monaural.

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Leader: Mitchell Ayres 

Contractor: Henry "Hank" Ross 

Guitar ~ Danny Perri 

Electric Guitar ~ Anthony "Tony" Mottola 

Piano ~ Henry Rowland 

Bass ~ Robert Haggart 

Drums ~ Terry Snyder 

Tenor Sax ~ Abraham Richman 

Trumpet ~ James Maxwell

September 06, 1956

Perry was well-known for popular adaptations of the classics, beginning with one of his first biggest hit records in 1945 "Till the End of Time" based on Chopin's Polonaise No. 6 in A Flat Major but his 1956 recording of "Moonlight Love" based on music from "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy caused considerable controversy due to copyright violation in the United Kingdom where it had to be withdrawn. Even the re-release of this song within the 1965 RCA Camden "Somebody Loves Me" required the exclusion of this song within the British album equivalent.

October 09, 1957

Perry records "Catch a Falling Star" in October which is matched to a December 3rd recording of "Magic Moments" earning him a back to back "Gold Record" and international best seller in early 1958. The song "Catch a Falling Star" is the first officially certified R.I.A.A. Gold Record and also earns Perry a 1958 Grammy for Best Male Vocal. Prior to this time the designation of a "Gold Record" was based solely on criteria established by the issuing label. 

February 12th ~  20th, and March 5th ~ 12th, 1958

Perry's first full stereophonic album titled "Saturday Night with Mr. C." was recorded between February and March, 1958, and released in several formats including an abridged stereo half-track reel to reel tape version. It was originally released under a "Classics" or "Red Seal" album designation but later changed to the normal RCA Popular label. The content length of this album should have been released on a double album but it was squeezed onto a single disc which required some editing and even the dropping of some songs to make it fit the stereo format record. The album featured arrangements by Joe Lipman and Jack Andrews with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers. It was produced by Joe Reisman and is believed to be the first album engineered by Bob Simpson ( not credited ). 

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March 04, 1958

Perry's first full stereo singles recorded in between his first two stereo albums. Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, 24th Street, New York City. Arranged and produced by Joe Reisman with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers. The production pattern is clearly established. Ray Charles performs an uncredited duet with Perry on "Kewpie Doll".

Dance Only With Me  

Moon Talk  

Kewpie Doll 

Beats There A Heart So True

Perry's song "Moon Talk" was his first single released in the 45 RPM format only. Prior to this time, all of his single releases were released simultaneously on 78 and 45 RPM records since the introduction of the 7" 45 RPM record in 1949. Even though these singles were released originally on a limited edition stereo 45 RPM record, in addition to the monaural release, the standard release of stereo singles did not occur until the 1970s. Perry's 1970 recorded "Love Is Spreading Over the World" was his first single released in stereo only. Full stereophonic albums, beginning in 1958, would be released simultaneously in stereo and monaural for almost a decade. 

April 30, May 1, June 18, 19, and 23, 1958

Perry's second full stereophonic album titled "When You Come to the End of the Day" directly follows the first. Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, 24th Street, New York City. Arranged and produced by Joe Reisman with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers. The album is released in October.

April 9th, 16th, 23rd, and May 21st, 1959

Perry records an album of "Swing Favorites" produced by Charles Grean and Lee Schapiro in April / May 1959 aptly titled "Como Swings" at a time when his recording of singles is winding down and he begins to make the inevitable transition to albums. The album includes no vocal backing excepting an uncredited duet with choral director Ray Charles within an up-tempo version of "To Know You ( Is to Love You)" which had been a single hit for Perry and the Fontane Sisters in 1952. The album also contains an up-tempo version of another song "Honey, Honey ( Bless Your Heart )" which Perry had recorded within his 1957 album "We Get Letters", a song reportedly composed by a nephew of Mrs. Como. Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, 24th Street, New York City, with engineering by Bob Simpson. Arrangements were again by Joe Lipman and Jack Andrews.  

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July 13, 14 and 15, 1959

Perry's second album produced by Charles Grean and Lee Schapiro and his first full length Christmas album was originally titled "Perry Como Sings the Songs of Christmas" but later changed to "Season's Greetings from Perry Como" and released in October, 1959. The album featured an up-dated full-length re-recording of Perry's original "Story of the First Christmas" which was destined to be a common feature of Perry's television Christmas specials for many years. This was Perry's second album recorded at Webster Hall. Backed by Mitchell Ayres and the Ray Charles Singers with arrangements by Joe Lipman and Jack Andrews this was Perry's final album following the formula begun with his first album in 1955 titled "So Smooth".

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October 26, 1959

During the month Perry's first full-length Christmas was released, he recorded new versions of "Ave Maria" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the Manhattan Center with the Male Voices of the Robert Shaw Chorale.  The story behind these recordings is not known but they are credited as being produced by Charles Grean.  Although the orchestration was conducted by Mitchell Ayres it appears that Perry was the guest of Robert Shaw as opposed to the other way around. These recordings were originally released on a special limited edition stereo single.

1960 ~ 1963

October 13, 1960

Perry's first recordings produced by the team of Hugo & Luigi were the songs "Gone Is My Love", with music by Paul Vance, composer of "Catch a Falling Star", and "Make Someone Happy", from the Broadway production "Do Re Mi" with music by Julie Styne. Recorded at Webster Hall with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers. Bob Simpson was the engineer.

October 25, 1960 ~ March 26, 1963

Perry recorded five albums between October 1960 and March 1963 all of which were Hugo & Luigi productions. All but one were recorded in Webster Hall with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra. Ray Charles' Singers appeared on all five albums but were credited only on three. Bob Simpson was the engineer for all five. 

During this time, Perry recorded only 5 single tracks in addition to the first two produced by Hugo & Luigi:

You're Following Me 

( The ) Island Of Forgotten Lovers 

Caterina 

One More Mountain    PHA1-4018 Take 4

( I Love You )  Don't You Forget It

The last two songs were recorded May 1, 1963, released back to back as a single. These were Perry's last recordings produced by Hugo & Luigi and his final recordings with Mitchell Ayres conducting.  Perry would not record again until almost two years later when Steve Sholes convinced him to record in Nashville with Chet Atkins and Anita Kerr.  

Perry also decided to end his weekly television show at the end of the 1963 season. My recollection is that Perry did continue the "Kraft Music Hall" shows but on a bi-monthly basis which gradually changed to quarterly and then seasonally as specials. The show continued with regularity but with increasing gaps as the years passed.

1965 ~ 1969

February 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, 1965

Perry records his first album in Nashville, produced by Chet Atkins, with arrangements and vocal backing by Anita Kerr. Back-up singers include Anita herself and three other singers: Louis Nunley, Dottie Dillard and Gil Wright.  This abridged version of The Anita Kerr Singers is referred to as "The Anita Kerr Quartet". The album is titled "The Scene Changes" as Perry moves his recording venue from New York to Nashville.

Although Chet Atkins doesn't play himself, the session exposes Perry to some of his top Nashville musicians. As outlined within the album notes, "They are: guitarists Grady Martin, Ray Edenton, Hal Bradley and Jim Wilkerson; pianist Floyd Cramer; sax specialist Boots Randolph; drummer Buddy Harman ( he added an extra fillip via tambourine ); Bob Moore of the rhythmic bass; Charlie McCoy, harmonica man; and steel guitarist Pete Drake, trumpet trombonist Cam Mullins, and saxophonist Dutch McMillin." 

Recorded in RCA Victor's "Nashville Sound" Studio, Nashville, Tennessee

Recording Engineers: Chuck Seitz and William Vandevort  

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June 22nd and 23rd, 1965

Perry returns to Nashville in June where he records seven new tracks in preparation for a follow-up album but the sessions are abruptly ended.  While two of the songs are released as a single, "Oowee, Oowee" with it's flip-side "The Summer Wind", the other five songs remain unreleased. One of the songs was released in Perry's 1969 album "Seattle" and another one in 1993. 

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November 12, 1965

Perry returns to New York and Webster Hall where he records his first tracks Andy Wiswell producing and the first with Nick Perito as conductor. Background vocals are by the Ray Charles Singers. Strangely, the two songs recorded and released as a single are remakes of two which were recorded in Nashville and abandoned, "Bye, Bye Little Girl" and "Meet Me at the Altar". 

December 29th, 1965 ~ March 1st, 1966

Perry records the first of four full length albums produced by Andy Wiswell.  Four songs from the session are unreleased one of which, "Happiness Comes, Happiness Goes", appears to be non-related to the album and was perhaps a warm-up to the session.  A remake of this song was later recorded in 1967 but not released until 1969 within Perry's compilation album "Seattle".

May 9th ~ 19th, 1966  

Perry records an album of Italian songs on location in Italy.

January 12th and February 15th, 1967

Perry begins a series of recording sessions in New York within what appears to be a laboured process resulting in several remakes and additional record dates through to June 1st and 2nd, July 28th and August 3rd.  Two Nashville sessions follow on August 22nd and 23rd with a few of the songs apparently recorded again. The sessions result in a few single releases but many are unreleased and  a few were included within Perry's 1969 compilation album "Seattle".

December 29, 1967

In response to many requests following his performance of the song "The Father of Girls" on his Thanksgiving television special,  Perry is convinced to record the song. Ervin Drake recounts a claim by Ray Charles that he had "stalked" Perry for a considerable time in an effort to convince him to sing this song.  The flip-side of the resulting single, "Somebody Makes It So", also recorded on this date, was composed by Paul Vance and Eddie Snyder each having a number of Como songs to their credit. 

Interestingly, Perry records an unreleased version of "How to Handle a Woman" during this session which he re-records again for the June 1968 sessions of the album "Look to Your Heart". Although not credited, the vocal track for "The Father of Girls" is re-recorded for the album.

Perry records "Look to Your Heart" which includes a re-recording of his single "The Father of Girls" with three unreleased songs from the session. Two of the songs "Together Forever" and "Turnaround" are included within the 1969 compilation album but one "Somebody Somewhere" is unreleased and undocumented.

July 9th ~ August 6th, 1968

Perry's final "Christmas Album" recorded at two separate sessions, one at Webster Hall and the other at RCA Studio A. Released tracks were from the second session with engineering done by Bob Simpson.

October 7, 1968

Perry records three unreleased tracks in New York. The second one is included within his 1969 compilation album "Seattle".

I Want That Girl  ( UNRELEASED )  

Buongiorno Teresa 

That's Me  ( UNRELEASED )  

October 10, 1968

Perry records two tracks in Nashville with a surprise hit "Seattle" overshadowing the "A" side and resulting with the release of a special compilation album featuring the title song. Songs are drawn from unreleased tracks recorded in New York and Nashville two of which were left over from Perry's 1968 sessions for "Look to Your Heart". The oldest song dated back to Perry's unreleased Nashville session in June, 1965, with the Anita Kerr Quartet. The album was a joint production of Andy Wiswell and Chet Atkins.  | Expand |  

It is not clear whether Perry actually traveled to Nashville for these recordings or whether the vocal track was added in New York. His final confirmed sessions in Nashville were in June, 1965.

Sunshine Wine   

Seattle  

June 25, 1969

Three more unreleased songs recorded by Perry in New York. One was a re-make from October, 1968.

Summer Me, Winter Me  ( UNRELEASED )  

A Love To Wear  ( UNRELEASED )  

That's Me  ( UNRELEASED ) ( REMAKE )

May 5th, and 6th, 1970

The original sessions during which Perry's hit "It's Impossible" was recorded. The actual release from this session was the Neil Sedaka / Howard Greenfield composition "Love Is Spreading Over the World" with "Don't Leave Me", a Harry Nilsson composition, on it's flip-side. The Sedaka song was recorded again in live performance during the summer of 1970.

Love Is Spreading Over The World   

Long Life, Lots of Happiness     

It's Impossible   

Don't Leave Me 

Turn Around   ( UNRELEASED )

It's Impossible   ( UNRELEASED )

June 25, 26, and 27, 1970

June 25, 26, and 27, 1970

In response to Perry's surprise hit "It's Impossible" an album was put together on-the-fly during an appearance in Las Vegas for Don Costa Productions.

Complete Session Dates 

January 14th ~ April 30th, 1971

In a quick follow-up to Perry's popular hit "It's Impossible" a second album was recorded with Don Costa.

January 15th ~ April 4th, 1973

Perry returns to Nashville for the first time ( confirmed ) since having recorded there in 1965. The original concept of a country music flavoured album of songs appears to have been abandoned in favour of a more pop oriented content.  A large number of unreleased songs are included within these sessions.

Recorded June 4th ~ August 17th, 1973    session detail

Perry records "And I Love You So" and "I Want to Give" in Spanish but they are not released domestically. Only two of the other tracks from these follow-up sessions are released.

Follow up sessions to "And I Love You So"

Produced by Chet Atkins

Arranged and Conducted by Bill McElhiney

Recorded in RCA Victor's "Nashville Sound" Studios, Nashville, Tennessee

Recording Engineers ( unknown )   

Recorded in Living Stereo & and QuadraDisc 4-Channel

Ahora Que Soy Libre ( And I Love You So )    ( NOT RELEASED )

Yo Te Quiero Asi ( I Want To Give )     ( NOT RELEASED )

Welcome Home     ( NOT RELEASED )

Walk Right Back    

Somehow     ( NOT RELEASED )

Woman Of The World    ( NOT RELEASED )

I'll Take My Chances With You    ( NOT RELEASED )

Turn The World Around    ( NOT RELEASED )

Love Don't Care ( Where It Grows )  

January 4th, ~ May 1st, 1974

Perry's New York follow-up to his successful Nashville album takes on a distinctly country flavour mixed with several pop standards.  Perry would later refer to this album as having been recorded in Nashville. These are the first recordings produced by Pete Spargo for Perry.

August 07, 1974

Perry recorded this special Christmas song, "Christmas Dream" ,  for Andrew Lloyd Webber for the soundtrack of the original 1974 Columbia Pictures film soundtrack "The Odessa File". The song was recorded in New York and London.

January 7th ~ October 15th, 1975

Perry's final Nashville album was generally protracted throughout sessions recorded between January and October, 1975. The album was finally released in November.

August 11th, 1976

Five tracks recorded in August, 1976 with two having a limited release.

Lovers, Kids and Fools     FPA1-2174 Take 1 +

My Days of Loving You  ( Anima Mia )    FPA1-2175 Take 1 +

Everything    FPA1-2176 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )   

Coming Back For More    FPA1-2177 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )   

Yes, No, Maybe!    FPA1-2178 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

February 3rd, 1977 ~ January 17th, 1978 

Perry recorded several tracks at an undisclosed site in 1977, three of which appeared in his 1978 American release compilation album  "Where You're Concerned". He appears to have recorded a very early version of "That's What Friends Are For"  as well as an unidentified song titled "Marie" which was over-dubbed almost a year after this recording but never released.

February 3rd, 1977

Marie   GWA5--2478 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

That's What Friends Are For   GWA5--2479 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

October 5th, 1977

You Light Up My Life    GPA5--3902 Take 1 +  

Feelings    GPA5--3903 Take 1 +  

When I Need You    GPA5--3904 Take 1 +  

January 17, 1978

Marie   GWA5--2478 Take O.D.   ( NOT RELEASED )

June 6th, 7th & 10th, 1977

Greensleeves    GPC6-1802 Take 1 +

My Kind of Girl    GPC6-1803 Take 1 +   

The Very Thought of You     GPC6-1804 Take 1 +  

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square    GPC6-1805 Take 1 +

Someday I'll Find You    GPC6-1806 Take 1 +

Michelle    GPC6-1807 Take 1 +

We'll Meet Again    GPC6-1808 Take 1 +  

There's A Kind of Hush ( All Over the World )       GPC6-1809 Take 1 + 

Smile    GPC6-1810 Take 1 +

The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener     GPC6-1811 Take 1 +

Where is Love ?    GPC6-1812 Take 1 +

Where You're Concerned     GPC6-1813 Take 1 +

Girl You Make It Happen    GPC6-1814 Take 1 +

December 10th & 11th, 1978

To Make You Smile Again   HPA1-7079 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

When I Wanted You   HPA1-7080 Take 1 +

You Are So Beautiful  HPA1-7081 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

Forever  HPA1-7082 Take 1 +

Rosemary Blue  HPA1-7083 Take 1 +   ( NOT RELEASED )

April 8th ~ 17th, 1980

July 29th, 30th and 31st, 1980

Perry's most successful 'live' recording from his summer tour in 1980. 

October ~ November, 1981

During the recording sessions for Perry's album "So It Goes" ( originally titled "Goodbye For Now" ) Nick Perito was called in to record the song which was destined to be Perry's last Christmas single. It was released later within a compilation album of Christmas songs bearing the same name.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever

Circa 1981 ~ 1982    complete sessions

Perry's last original RCA Victor album with the intended title "Goodbye For Now" was likely meant to be somewhat prophetic. Perry had become increasingly dissatisfied with the New York recording environment, describing the experience as akin to "recording in a morgue".  The completion of this album required the use of previously recorded material dating back to 1962. The song "You Are So Beautiful" may also have been previously recorded.  Perry's performance throughout was exceptional nevertheless. 

October 17 & 18, 1983

The last singles recorded by Perry were produced by Mike Berniker and featured two songs from the score of the Broadway musical "La Cage Aux Folles" with words and music by Jerry Herman. The exact circumstances of these recordings are unknown but Perry did record "The Best of Times" again within his final album produced by Nick Perito.

( The ) Best of Times

Song On the Sand  ( La da da da )

February 2nd & 3rd, 1987   

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Perry's final recording for RCA Victor but under the banner of the label's new owner BMG was actually a co-production of Perry's company Roncom and Nick Perito.  It was recorded in California but returned to New York for remixing and mastering at RCA Studios.  This is Perry's only album released simultaneously on vinyl and compact disc. It is not known whether the original recordings were digital or analogue. 

Chauncey Welch, who performs a trombone solo on "Making Love To You", a composition of Nick Perito and Sammy Cahn, and "My Heart Stood Still", a Rodgers & Hart composition, also played trombone within two of Perry's original RCA Victor albums, "Como Swings" recorded in 1959, and "For the Young at Heart" recorded in 1960.

Miscellaneous
Perry Como at Home

Perry met Roselle Belline at a wiener roast on the banks of Chartiers Creek in Pennsylvania. She was a local girl. They were married July 31, 1933, when he was 21 years old. For many years they lived in a rambling house at Sands Point, Long Island, with three children: Ronnie, born in 1940, David, born in 1946, and Terri, born in 1947. Their home had a garden, an outdoor grill for stakes and a pool table. Their home life had the earmarks of any suburban family.

Both Perry and Roselle have received one of the highest honors of the Catholic Church. In a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Spellman, they were made Knight Commander and Lady Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. Another great moment in Perry's life occurred in the summer of '58 when he, Roselle and the three children were privileged to have an audience with His Holiness, the late Pope Pius XII.

The trip to Rome was the first overseas for the Comos and Perry's first chance to appreciate his new international prominence. The television show was broadcast in at least a dozen foreign countries. The Como face and voice were fast becoming as familiar abroad as they were at home.

As a tribute in recognition of Perry, his hometown, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, changed the name of Third Street, where he used to have his barber shop, to Perry Como Avenue. The dedication was tremendous and the schools declared a holiday. Only inadvertently did Perry reveal this during a press interview years after the event. Even though it was a great honor for his family, he didn't think anyone else would be interested.

When Perry was named "Personality of the Year" by the Variety Club of Washington, D.C., the award was made at a formal dinner and he had to buy a new tuxedo. Perhaps because he had to wear one every night for almost ten years, during his band days, it was purchased under protest. During his visit to Washington he sang in a child's polio ward at a city hospital. He spoke at length with a four year old patient and later learned that the boy's parents were poor and unable to meet the medical expenses. At dinner that night he told the audience about the child and offered to auction off his new tuxedo with proceeds to the youngster. The tuxedo brought in $2500.

In 1957 Perry was again obliged to don a black tie on the occasion of the Friers Club testimonial dinner. As the Friars' 1957 "Man of the Year" he was the delighted honor guest and entertained by many of show business's top names, toasted by an overflow crowd in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria.