Jerry Vale (born Genaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 â€" May 18, 2014) was an American singer and actor.
Biography
Career
In high school, to earn money, Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop in New York City. He sang while he shined shoes, and his boss liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy. Enjoying the lessons, Vale started singing in high school musicals and at a local nightclub.
This led to additional club dates, including one that lasted for three years at a club in the suburb of Yonkers, New York, just north of the city. When Paul Insetta, (who was a road manager for Guy Mitchell and a hit songwriter) heard him there, he signed him to a management contract, changed his name, and further coached him. He then arranged for Vale to record some demonstration records of songs he'd written, and brought the demos to Columbia Records. Vale then signed a recording contract with Columbia, and Insetta managed him for many years.
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 achieved for this was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame located in Cooperstown, New York. He also frequently sang the song at Yankee Stadium over the years. Additionally he owned the Daytona Beach Admirals.
Vale and Rita, his wife of over 54 years, resided in Palm Desert, California. His biography A Singer's Life, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles, Stonybrook, New York. 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.
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
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
Notes
References
- Grudens, Richard; Buddy Hackett (forward) (2000). Jerry Vale, a Singer's Life. Celebrity Profiles Publishing. ISBNÂ 978-1575791760.Â
- Grudens, Richard. "Jerry Vale, A Singer's Life". Palm Springs Life: Whispering Palms. Desert Publications. (excerpt)
External links
- Jerry Vale at AllMusic
- Jerry Vale discography at Discogs
- Jerry Vale at the Internet Movie Database
