The groom and his men would avail themselves of every treatment Como and his assistants had to offer. He did especially well when one of his customers would marry. They were well-paid, did not mind spending money on themselves, and enjoyed Como's song renditions. His customers worked mainly at the nearby steel mills. Como had so much work after moving to the coffee house, he had to hire two barbers to help with it. One of Como's regular customers at the barber shop owned a Greek coffee house that included a barber shop area, and asked Como whether he would like to take over that portion of his shop. Practicing on his father, he mastered the skills well enough to have his own shop at age 14. ĭespite his musical ability, Como's primary ambition was to become the best barber in Canonsburg. Como and his brothers became the support of the household. When Como was 14, his father became unable to work because of a severe heart condition.
His father told him he was entitled to make a mistake and that he hoped his son would never do anything worse than this. He managed to tell his father what had happened to the money his family depended on. Filled with shame, he locked himself in his room and did not come out until hunger got the better of him. Also around this time, Como lost his week's wages in a dice game. By age 13, he had graduated to having his own chair in the Fragapane barber shop, although he stood on a box to tend to his customers. Ĭomo started helping his family at age 10, working before and after school in Steve Fragapane's barber shop for 50¢ a week. Como was a member of the Canonsburg Italian Band along with bandleader Stan Vinton, who was the father of singer Bobby Vinton, and often a customer at Como's barber shop. He showed more musical talent in his teenaged years as a trombone player in the town's brass band, playing guitar, singing at weddings, and as an organist at church. In a rare 1957 interview, Como's mother, Lucia, described how her young son also took on other jobs to pay for more music lessons Como learned to play many different instruments, but never had a voice lesson. Pietro, a mill hand and an amateur baritone, had all his children attend music lessons even if he could barely afford them. The family had a second-hand organ his father had bought for $3 as soon as Como was able to toddle, he would head to the instrument, pump the bellows, and play music he had heard. He did not begin speaking English until he entered school, since the Comos spoke Italian at home. He was the seventh of 13 children and the first American-born child of Pietro Como (1877-1945) and Lucia Travaglini (1883-1961), who both emigrated to the US in 1910 from the Abruzzese town of Palena, Italy. Early years Ĭomo was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Pittsburgh.
He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987 and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990. He also shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. An example to all." Ĭomo received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, and a Christopher Award in 1956. 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. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world.
C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multimedia star Bing Crosby. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943. Pierino Ronald " Perry" Como ( / ˈ k oʊ m oʊ/ – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality.
0 kommentar(er)
