Perry Como

Perry Como
NBC Television · Public domain · source
Name	Perry Como
Caption	Como in 1956
Birth name	Pierino Ronald Como
Birth date	May 18, 1912
Birth place	Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Death date	May 12, 2001
Death place	Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, United States
Occupation	Singer, actor, television personality
Years active	1933–1998
Spouse	Roselle Belline (m. 1933–1998)

Perry Como was an American singer, actor, and television personality whose smooth baritone and relaxed delivery made him a leading figure in 20th-century popular music and broadcast entertainment. He achieved commercial success across radio, phonograph records, television variety programs, and concert stages, becoming associated with perennial holiday recordings and mainstream popular standards. Como's career intersected with major institutions, performers, and media developments from the Big Band era through the rise of television in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life and family

Born Pierino Ronald Como in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Como was the son of Italian immigrant parents from the Piedmont region who worked in local railroads and the coal mining community surrounding Pittsburgh, an industrial hub linked to families like the Carnegie Steel Company founders. He grew up in a household influenced by Catholic traditions associated with parishes such as St. John the Evangelist Parish (Canonsburg) and local Italian-American societies that mirrored organizational patterns seen in cities like Philadelphia and New York City. Como attended area public schools and first sang in community venues alongside contemporaries who would pursue careers in radio broadcasting and popular entertainment circuits based in New York City and Chicago. His early employment included work with regional transportation firms and delivery services connected to the commercial networks that supported artists during the Great Depression.

Career

Como began professional singing in the 1930s with regional bands before moving to big-band work, joining ensembles similar to those led by Ted Weems and Benny Goodman. He signed with national record labels and made early recordings that placed him within the commercial catalogs of companies such as RCA Victor and competitors that dominated the 1930s–1950s recording industry. During World War II, Como's broadcasts and appearances paralleled efforts by entertainers like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby who supported troop morale through engagements coordinated with organizations like the United Service Organizations and broadcast networks including NBC and CBS. Transitioning into the postwar era, Como became a fixture on radio variety programs, and then a pioneer of television variety series that shaped the medium alongside programs produced by figures such as Desilu Productions and hosted by contemporaries like Jack Benny and Milton Berle. He maintained a chart presence with singles and albums that reflected the mainstream tastes cataloged by publications such as Billboard (magazine) and institutions like the Recording Industry Association of America.

Musical style and repertoire

Como's vocal style emphasized a relaxed legato, mellow baritone timbre, and an economy of vibrato that allied him stylistically with peers such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby while remaining distinct from the belting styles of artists like Patti Page or Etta James. His repertoire drew from the Great American Songbook composers including Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Harry Warren, as well as contemporary songwriters whose works appeared in Broadway productions like South Pacific and My Fair Lady. He recorded seasonal standards—most notably arrangements of songs associated with Christmas—that joined the catalogues of other holiday interpreters such as Andy Williams and Brenda Lee. Como also incorporated elements of light orchestral backing typical of arrangers and conductors like Mitchell Ayres and worked with arrangers akin to those who collaborated with Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins.

Television and film work

Como headlined long-running television programs that were part of the early network era, broadcasting on major networks including NBC and featuring variety formats similar to shows hosted by Ed Sullivan and The Jack Benny Program. His programs included regular guest appearances by film, music, and comedy figures from studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures, and involved production values comparable to specials mounted by CBS Television and producers such as Norman Lear in later decades. Como made occasional film appearances and participated in televised specials that showcased collaborations with orchestras, choirs, and ballet companies in the tradition of network holiday pageants and prime-time entertainment spectacles that also featured stars like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Personal life and philanthropy

Como married Roselle Belline in 1933; the couple maintained a private family life while engaging in philanthropic activities that supported health care institutions and charitable organizations resembling foundations linked to entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. He was noted for low-profile civic involvement in communities like Canonsburg and later in Jupiter, Florida, and for support of causes including children's welfare and medical research that intersected with hospitals and clinics similar to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and regional medical centers. Como's personal temperament—often described in profiles by outlets such as Time (magazine) and Life (magazine)—was measured, avoiding the tabloid controversies that affected some contemporaries.

Legacy and honors

Como's legacy is reflected in honors from recording and broadcast institutions including various awards comparable to recognitions from the Grammy Awards, halls of fame similar to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and lifetime achievement acknowledgments given by civic organizations in places like Pittsburgh and Florida. His catalog remains part of archival collections maintained by music libraries and institutions modeled on the Library of Congress and university special collections that preserve 20th-century American popular music. Contemporary artists across pop and easy-listening genres cite his influence alongside singers such as Michael Bublé and Harry Connick Jr., and his holiday recordings continue to receive recurrent airplay on networks and satellite services patterned after modern broadcasters like SiriusXM.

Category:1912 births Category:2001 deaths Category:American singers Category:American television personalities