Jerry Vale

Jerry Vale

Born: July 8, 1930
Died: May 18, 2014 (at age 83)
Biography

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

Year Single Chart positions
1953 "For Me"
- - -
"A Tear, A Kiss, A Smile"
- - -
"You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart"
29 - -
1954 "Two Purple Shadows"
20 - -
"Go"
- - -
"I Live Each Day"
29 - -
"For You My Love"
- - -
1955 "A Million Moons Ago"
- - -
"Hey Punchinello"
- - -
"When I Let You Go"
- - -
"Only Beautiful"
- - -
"Magic Night"
- - -
"Miracle In The Rain"
- - -
1956 "Innamorata (Sweetheart)"
30 - -
"You Don't Know Me"
14 - -
"Mother Mine"
- - -
1957 "All Dressed Up With A Brand New Broken Heart"
- - -
"For You My Love"
- - -
"Love In The Afternoon"
- - -
"Pretend You Don't See Her"
52 - -
1958 "I Always Say"
- - -
"Goodbye Now"
- - -
"With You"
- - -
"Go Chase A Moonbeam"
60 - -
1959 "Me and My Shadow"
- - -
"Bella, Bella Sue"
- - -
"The Flame"
- - -
"What Do I Care"
- - -
1960 "Solitaire"
- - -
"The Dawn Of Love (L'Edera)
- - -
"No Moon At All"
- - -
"Just Friends"
- - -
1961 "Camelot"
- - -
"Al di là"
- - -
"Another Time, Another Place"
- - -
1962 "If I Would Ever Leave You"
- - -
"Ah, Camminare"
- - -
"My Geisha (You Are Sympathy To Me)"
- - -
"From The Bottom Of My Heart"
- - -
1963 "(You Got Me) Doin' What I Said I'd Never Do"
- - -
"Old Cape Cod"
118 - -
"Mala Femmina"
- - -
"On and On"
123 - -
1964 "The Love Goddess"
- - -
"The Lights Of Roma"
- - -
"Have You Looked Into Your Heart"
24 1 6
1965 "Standing Ovation" - - 13
"For Mama"
54 13 -
"Moonlight Becomes You" - - 13
"Tears Keep On Falling"
96 30 -
"There Goes My Heart" - - 7
"Where Were You When I Needed You"
99 19 -
"Deep In Your Heart"
118 16 -
"Big Wide World" / - - 25
1966 "Ashamed" - 28 22
"Less Than Tomorrow"
- 14 -
"My Melancholy Baby"
- - -
"It'll Take A Little Time"
120 14 -
"Dommage, Dommage (Too Bad, Too Bad)"
93 5 -
1967 "I've Lost My Heart Again"
132 32 -
"Time Alone Will Tell (Non Pensare a Me)"
126 6 -
"Blame It On Me"
- 26 -
"Have You Seen the One I Love Go By" / - 30 -
"Signs" - 36 -
"In The Back Of My Heart"
- 5 -
1968 "Don't Tell My Heart To Stop Loving You"
- 6 -
"My Love, Forgive Me (Amore, Scusami)"
- 25 -
"That Girl Would Be So Pretty" / - 37 -
"Till Now" - 39 -
"With Pen in Hand"
- 30 -
"There's A Baby"
- - -
1969 "Close To Cathy"
- - -
"He Who Loves"
- 34 29
"Life"
- 28 36
"This Is My Life (La Vita)"
- 26 23
1970 "Hello and Goodbye"
- 40 -
"I'll Never Fall In Love Again"
- - -
"I Climbed The Mountain"
- 27 -
"Stay Awhile"
- 27 33
1971 "Point Me In The Direction Of Alburquerque"
- - -
"My Little Girl (Angel All A-Glow)"
- 36 -
"Which Way You Goin' Girl"
- - -
Two Purple Shadows"
- - -
1972 "Pretend"
- - -
"Smile"
- - -
"Mister Good Times"
- - -
1973 "He"
- - -
"Mon Amour"
- - -
1974 "Free As The Wind"
- - -
1978 "Toot Toot Tootsie (Goodbye)"
- - -

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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