Jerry Vale (born Genaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 - May 18, 2014) was an Italian-American singer and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, Vale reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, many of which he sang in Italian.

The crooner showed his love of Italian music with his albums, I Have But One Heart (1962) and Arrivederci, Roma (1963), full of Italian standards such as "Amore, Scusami", "Ciao, Ciao, Bambina", "Arrivederci, Roma", and "O Sole Mio". His renditions of "Volare", "Innamorata (Sweetheart)", and "Al di là" became classic Italian-American songs.

Biography

Early years

Genaro Louis Vitaliano was born in the Bronx, N.Y., to Italian immigrant parents, and grew up in the Bronx Italian American community. In high school, to earn money, Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop, singing while he worked. His boss liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy. Vale started singing in high school musicals and at a local nightclub. Still a teenager, he left school to work in a factory as an oiler alongside his father.

Career

His early nightclub performances led to additional shows in the early 1950s, including one lasting for three years at a club in Yonkers, New York. When Paul Insetta, (road manager for singer Guy Mitchell and hit songwriter) heard him there, he signed him to a management contract and further coached him. Genaro changed his name to the Americanized Jerry Vale. Insetta arranged for Vale to record some demonstration records of songs he'd written, and brought them to Columbia Records. Guy Mitchell introduced Vale to Mitch Miller, influential executive at Columbia Records. Vale signed a recording contract with Insetta his manager for many years to come.

Vale’s first recording with the label, with accompaniment by Percy Faith and his band, was "You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart", #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Vale's first U.S. hit.

His version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", recorded in the late 1963, was a fixture at many sporting events for years, the Gold Record Vale received was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Vale frequently sang the song at the Yankee Stadium. Additionally he owned the Daytona Beach Admirals.

In 1959, Vale married Rita Grapel, an actress who appeared in the 1952 film The Thief. and was his wife of over 54 years, residing in Palm Desert, California. His biography A Singer's Life, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles. He sang the Late Night with David Letterman anthem "It's a Late Night World" on the program's eighth anniversary special in 1990. He made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film Goodfellas and the 1995 film Casino, both directed by Martin Scorsese.

Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his recent years.

Death

Jerry Vale died of natural causes in his sleep on May 18, 2014 at his home in Palm Desert, California. He was 83 years old. He is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Cathedral City, California.

Honors

In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Vale.

Discography

Studio albums

• Girl Meets Boy (with Peggy King and Felicia Sanders) (1955)
• I Remember Buddy (1958)
• I Remember Russ (1958)
• The Same Old Moon (1959)
• Jerry Vale's Greatest Hits (1961)
• I Have But One Heart (1962)
• Arrivederci, Roma (1963)
• The Language of Love (1963)
• Be My Love (1964)
• Till the End of Time and Other Great Love Themes (1964)
• Christmas Greetings from Jerry Vale (1964)
• Have You Looked Into Your Heart (1965)
• There Goes My Heart (1965)
• Everybody Loves Somebody (1966)
• It's Magic (1966)
• The Impossible Dream (1967)
• Time Alone Will Tell and Other Great Hits of Today (1967)
• I Hear a Rhapsody (1968)
• You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1968)
• This Guy's In Love with You (1968)
• Till (1969)
• As Long As She Needs Me (1969)
• Where's the Playground Susie? (1969)
• Let It Be (1970)
• We've Only Just Begun (1971)
• The Jerry Vale Italian Album (1971)
• I Don't Know How to Love Her (1971)
• Sings the Great Hits of Nat King Cole (1972)
• Alone Again (Naturally) (1972)
• Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1973)
• What a Wonderful World (1973)
• Jerry Vale's World (1974)
• Free as the Wind (1974)

Singles

[ Source: Wikipedia ]