A Sentimental Date
with Perry Como
Notes
RCA VICTOR
EPA-739
ASSEMBLED IN 1956
Perry Como
With the Orchestras of Russ Case and
Henri René
Perry's
professional singing career began in his native Canonsburg,
Pennsylvania, where he was born and grew up, the seventh son of a
seventh son, (Perry also has six sisters and,at last count, well
over a hundred nieces and nephews.) He started making his own living
when he was eleven by working in a barbershop, and at fifteen he had
his own shop. He often sang as he worked, but he laughed off any
suggestion that he should capitalize on his voice. But when Freddie
Carolone heard him and offered him a job as vocalist with his group,
Perry accepted. This was in 1933; the salary was a magnificent $28 a
week, and on the strength of it Perry married his childhood
sweetheart, Roselle Belline. Four days after the wedding he left to
tour with Carolone and saw little of his bride in the next eighteen
months. It was rather this experience that he vowed to escape from
the treadmill of one-night stands as soon as he could.
But his escape was indefinitely
postponed when he was offered a vocalist’s job with Ted Weems’
orchestra. This time his salary was $50 a week, enough to support
Roselle as well as himself on tour. The birth of their son, Ronnie, in
1940, made touring even tougher. When Weems, in December, 1942,
disbanded his men to go into the service, Perry returned to Canonsburg
with a vow never to go on the road again.
He was persuaded to go back to
singing when a chance came ( early ’43 ) to have his own sustaining
show on radio. Shortly afterwards he was signed for a two-week
engagement at the Copacabana, mecca of all entertainers. His engagement
was extended to eight weeks, and he was made. RCA Victor signed him to a
recording contract, Hollywood signed him up for seven years on the basis
of his screen test alone, and Chesterfield nabbed him for the
thrice-weekly Supper Club. His tremendous success with the Supper Club
led naturally to the production of his own television show — a show
that has made it possible for millions to keep that sentimental date
with Perry every Saturday night.
Copyright 1956, Radio
Corporation of America
This is an RCA Victor High Fidelity Recording
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