Jerry Vale
| Jerry Vale | |
|---|---|
Vale in 1965.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Genaro Louis Vitaliano |
| Born |
July 8, 1930 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 2014 (aged 83) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Genres | crooner |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist |
Jerry Vale (born Genaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an Italian-Americansinger 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.
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.
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 he brought them to Columbia Records. Guy Mitchell introduced Vale to Mitch Miller, influential executive at Columbia Records. Vale signed a recording contract, with Insetta as his manager for many years to come.
Jerry Vale appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1950 singing "It Isn't Fair".
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