HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Perry Como

Perry Como was a popular crooner who himself hardly hummed a bar of jazz, though had less choice when recording with others such as Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, Harry James or Tex Beneke. Born on 18 May 1912 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Perry was running his own barbershop when he joined Freddy Carlone's band in 1932, four days after getting married to one, Roselle. He stayed with Carlone, touring, for a few years until joining the Ted Weems Orchestra with which he made his first recording,'Lazy Weather' followed by 'You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes', on 15 May 1936.

'Lazy Weather' Perry Como's 1st recording to issue

15 May 1936 in Chicago Matrix C 90728 Decca 822

Ted Weems Orchestra:

Trumpet: Andy Secrest / Art Weems Trombone: Pete Beilman

Clarinet / sax: Dick Cunliffe / Parker Gibbs / Red Ingle / Rosy McHargue

Piano: Jack O'Brien Violin / guitar: Cliff Covert

Tuba / bass: Country Washburne Drums: Ormand Downes

Composition: Oscar Levant / Irving Kahal

'You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes' Perry Como's 2nd recording to issue

15 May 1936 in Chicago Matrix C 90729 Decca 820

Ted Weems Orchestra:

Trumpet: Andy Secrest / Art Weems Trombone: Pete Beilman

Clarinet / sax: Dick Cunliffe / Parker Gibbs / Red Ingle / Rosy McHargue

Piano: Jack O'Brien Violin / guitar: Cliff Covert

Tuba / bass: Country Washburne Drums: Ormand Downes

Composition: Milton Ager / Murray Mencher / Charles Newman

'Class Will Tell' Perry Como

3 March 1939 in NYC Matrix 65168 Decca 2365

Ted Weems Orchestra:

Trumpet: Andy Secrest / Art Weems Trombone: Pete Beilman

Clarinet / sax: Dick Cunliffe / Parker Gibbs / Red Ingle / Rosy McHargue

Piano: Jack O'Brien Violin / guitar: Cliff Covert

Tuba / bass: Country Washburne Drums: Ormand Downes

Composition: Joe Burke / Joseph Burke / Edgar Leslie

Como left Weems in late 1942, weary of traveling, to take up barbering again. He then accepted an offer from CBS Radio in 1943, first broadcasting in March. He was performing clubs again that year, starting at the Copacabana in New York City in June. 'Goodbye, Sue' / 'There'll Soon Be a Rainbow' was his first issue with RCA Victor that year, with which label he remained another 44 years. 'Goodbye, Sue' reached #20 on the Billboard charts in October of 1943. Como would spend the next three decades consistently scoring high on the popularity charts. His initial Top Ten title was 'Long Ago' at #8 in May of 1944. His first to reach #1 was 'Till the End of Time' in August 1945, after which he placed sixteen more:

   Till the End of Time   8/1945
   Prisoner of Love   3/1946
   Chi-Baba Chi-Baba   5/1946
   Surrender   6/1946
   "A" You're Adorable   4/ 1949
   Some Enchanted Evening   4/1949
   Hoop-Dee-Doo   1939
   If   1/1951
   Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes   12/1952   Como's best-selling title overall
   No Other Love   6/1953
   Wanted   3/1954
   Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)   3/1956
   Round and Round   2/1957
   Catch a Falling Star   1/1958
   Stop and Think It Over   4/ 1957
   It's Impossible   10/1970
   And I Love You So   3/1973

Como moved from CBS to NBC in 1944 to air his first 'Chesterfield Supper Club' on December 11, that to eventually become a television show.

'If I Loved You' Perry Como

30 May 1945 on the NBC 'Chesterfield Supper Club' radio show

Composition: Rodgers & Hammerstein

'Chi-Baba Chi-Baba' Perry Como w the Satisfiers

Lloyd Shaffer and His Orchestra

10 April 1947 in NYC Matrix D7-VB-247 Victor 20-2259

Composition: Joe Burke / Joseph Burke / Edgar Leslie

'"A" You're Adorable' Perry Como w the Fontane Sisters

1 March 1949 in NYC Matrix DJ-699-B Victor 20-3381

Music: Sid Lippman Lyrics: Buddy Kaye / Fred Wise

'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' Perry Como w the Fontane Sisters

7 Nov 1949 Victor 20-3607

Composition: Al Hoffman / Mack David / Jerry Livingston

'Till the End of Time' Perry Como Television

20 Nov 1949 on the 'Chesterfield Supper Club'

Music: Ted Mossman Lyrics: Buddy Kaye

'Chesterfield Supper Club' Perry Como Television

27 Nov 1949 for NBC

'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' Perry Como w the Fontane Sisters Television

18 Dec 1949 on the 'Chesterfield Supper Club'

Composition: Al Hoffman / Mack David / Jerry Livingston

'A Dreamer's Holiday' Perry Como w the Fontane Sisters Television

18 Dec 1949 on the 'Chesterfield Supper Club'

Music: Mabel Wayne 1946 Lyrics: Kim Gannon

'Hoop-Dee-Doo' Perry Como w the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra

16 March 1950 in NYC Matrix E0VB-3909 Victor 20-3747

Music: Milton De Lugg Lyrics: Frank Loesser

'Frank Sinatra Show' Perry Como w Frank Sinatra Television

With Betty and Jane Kean

3 March 1951 for CBS television

'Hey Good Lookin'' Perry Como w the Fontane Sisters Television

21 Nov 1951 on the 'Chesterfield Supper Club'

Composition: Hank Williams Sr.

Dusty Old Thing

Very the family man and among the more conservative entertainers in the industry, Como nevertheless issued an uncharacteristic rocker in 1955, 'Ko Ko Mo' (RCA Victor 47-5994), that backed by the Ray Charles Singers. That was a cover of Gene & Eunice's 1954 version on Combo 64.

'Ko Ko Mo' Perry Como w the Ray Charles Singers

Mitchell Ayres Orchestra Arrangement: Joe Reisman

4 Jan 1955 in NYC Matrix F2PB-0300 RCA 18271

Composition: Forest Gene Wilson / Eunice Levy / Jake Porter 1954

'The Perry Como Show' premiered on television in September of 1955. He followed that in 1959 with 'Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall' for an eight-year run.

'The Perry Como Show' Perry Como Television

9 May 1955

'If I Had a Hammer' Perry Como Television

7 Jan 1965 on 'Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall'

Composition: Pete Seeger / Lee Hays

'Seattle' Perry Como

1969 Matrix 447-0858

See the album 'Seattle' on RCA Victor LSP-4183 1969

Music: Hugo Montenegro Lyrics: Jack Keller / Ernie Sheldon

Como began performing in Las Vegas in 1970, also touring the United Kingdom in the seventies. In 1982 he visited Italy with Frank Sinatra, also touring the States in the eighties. He began to perform in tuxedo rather than his usual cardigan sweater during his latter career as a manner of honoring his audience.