Bobby Vinton
| Bobby Vinton | |
|---|---|
Vinton in 1965
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanley Robert Vinton, Jr. |
| Born |
April 16, 1935 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, lounge |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Clarinet, oboe, saxophone, piano, drums, trumpet, vocals |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | Epic, ABC, Ahed, Tapestry, Curb |
| Website | www |
Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton, Jr. (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer and songwriter. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince of Poch", as his music pays tribute to his Polish heritage. Known for his angelic vocals in love songs, his most popular song, "Blue Velvet" (a cover of Tony Bennett's 1951 song), peaked at number 1 on the now renamed Billboard Pop Singles Chart, and number 2 in the UK in 1990. It also served as inspiration for the film of the same name.
Vinton is the only child of locally popular bandleader Stan Vinton and Dorothy Studzinski Vinton. He is of Polish and Lithuanian descent. The family surname was originally Vintula, and was changed by Vinton's father. Vinton's parents encouraged their son's interest in music by giving him his daily 25 cent allowance after he had practised the clarinet.
At 16, Vinton formed his first band, which played clubs around the Pittsburgh area. With the money he earned, he helped finance his college education at Duquesne University, where he graduated with a degree in musical composition. While at Duquesne, he became proficient on all of the instruments in the band: piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, drums, and oboe. When Vinton became an active musician, it was common for people to become confused with the bands of father and son, as both were named Stanley. Vinton's father suggested his son use his middle name of Robert professionally to clear up the confusion.
Vinton's birthplace of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania is also the birthplace of Perry Como.Joey Powers was born in nearby Washington, Pennsylvania, and at one time played in a band with Vinton. Vinton's hometown named two streets, Bobby Vinton Boulevard and the shorter adjoining Bobby Vinton Drive, in his honor. These streets were built in the late 1970s; prior attempts to name a residential street after him failed. The residents did not care for the singer always using Pittsburgh as his home town on TV interviews. Como always claimed Canonsburg as his hometown, so hundreds of people changed their address when the town renamed a street in the east end after Perry Como. The Canonsburg town fathers had plans to erect a statue in Vinton's honor, but Vinton himself vetoed the idea, noting that the $100,000 planned cost could go to far more important town needs.
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