Birth Name

  Pierino "Perry" Como

  Also Known As

  Perry Como, "Mr. C"

  Born

  May 18, 1912     Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A

  Genre

  Easy Listening, Adult Contemporary, Popular Vocal, Pop, 

  Big   Band, Jazz, Latin, Swing, Country, Rock And Roll, Faith

  And Inspirational

  Occupation

  Singer-songwriter, record producer

  Instruments

  Vocalist

  Years Active

  1933-1994

  Labels

  Decca, RCA Victor

  Website

  www.perrycomo.net

Vacationing in Cleveland in 1933, Como auditioned for Freddie Carlone's band and was hired at twenty-five dollars a week. That same year Como married his high school sweetheart, Roselle Belline, the daughter of French immigrants; they had three children, whom they sheltered from the celebrity world of show business.  She died in August 1998, two weeks after celebrating their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Perry Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943. "Mr. C", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for RCA and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. His combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time.

Hollywood filmmakers lured Como to the silver screen, but his career in the motion picture industry was brief and unrewarding.

A popular television performer and recording artist, Perry Como produced numerous hit records with record sales so high the label literally stopped counting at Como's behest. His weekly television hobo and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world and his popularity seemingly had no geographical or language boundaries. He was equally at ease in live performance and in the confines of a recording studio. His appeal spanned generations and he was widely respected for both his professional standards and the conduct in his personal life. In the official RCA Records Billboard Magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."

Perry Como received the Kennedy Centre Honours in 1987, and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

*Reference  Wikipedia & adapted from the American National Biography Online