Tony Bellus

Tony Bellus (born Anthony J. Bellusci; April 17, 1936) is a Chicago-born vocalist and musician whose first recording was with Shi-Fi Records in 1958. His best known recorded song is Robbin' The Cradle, a self-composed ballad he recorded in his native Chicago in 1959.

The recording of Robbin' The Cradle contained a number of styles and musical combinations. It combined an Italian pop singer playing an accordion à la Dick Contino, being backed with a basically country/rockabilly band augmented with a background Latino vocal group.

Upon hearing Bellus perform the song in Chicago, NRC leased the master for the NRC label, and the song peaked at #25 on 17 August 1959 and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 26 weeks, the most weeks for any Hot 100 entry all within the calendar year 1959.

Attempts at follow-ups were hampered when the original National Recording Corporation went bankrupt April 27, 1961. The company reappeared in 1962 under the aegis of Georgia theatre magnate Frederick Storey. The reorganization and a stint in the Army took the momentum from Bellus' career.

Bellus was a singing sensation throughout the Chicago area night club scene in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a mainstay performer appearing nightly at the famous Fritzel's restaurant at the corner of State and Lake Streets in downtown Chicago. Fritzel's was a personal favorite of local and visiting celebrities and dignitaries. Bellus returned to the NRC label with a CD release of the 1959 album that followed the single's success. The old NRC music library was purchased by Georgia music historian and producer Johnny F. Carter in 2004. Two CD singles have since then been released by NRC: "Hang Up 'n' Drive" and the Christmas-themed "I Want Florida For Christmas". An CD of favorite Italian songs and a compilation titled "Now And Then" are slated for release in 2013.

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