Perry Como

Perry Como (born May 18, 1912, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died May 12, 2001, Jupiter, Florida) was an American singer and entertainer whose mellow baritone voice and relaxed, easygoing manner—typified by his trademark cardigan sweaters—made him an audience favorite during a career that lasted more than six decades and in which he sold more than 100 million records. For 15 years (1948–63) he hosted weekly television variety shows, winning Emmy Awards in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1959, and his annual Christmas TV shows became a staple of the holiday season.

Como, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Italy, was one of 13 children. Despite the family’s poverty, all the children received music lessons, and Como learned to play several instruments and to read music. He began working when he was about 10 years old, sweeping up in a barber shop, and by the time he was in his mid-teens, he was the owner of his own shop, where he sang while he worked. When he was about 20, Freddy Carlone, a bandleader in Cleveland, Ohio, offered him a position as vocalist, and encouraged by his customers and his family, he became a singer with that band in 1933.

In 1936 Como was signed by Ted Weems to sing with his orchestra. This orchestra, based in Chicago, also performed on the radio, increasing Como’s exposure. Como recorded and broadcast with Weems until that orchestra broke up in 1942. He had decided to return to his career as a barber to be able to spend more time with his family, but when he was offered a contract to record and appear on radio in 1943, he accepted. His first single, “Goodbye Sue,” was released later that year. Also that year, he signed a seven-year movie contract, though his film appearances were for the most part not notable.

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In 1944 Como had his first hit record, “Long Ago and Far Away,” and the first of his more than a dozen million-selling hits, “Till the End of Time,” followed in 1945. Among his other hits of the 1940s and ’50s were “If I Loved You,” “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,” “Hot,” “Temptation,” “Papa Loves Mambo,” “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes,” the first of his 14 number one records, and “Catch a Falling Star,” for which he won a Grammy Award in 1958.

Between 1944 and 1950 Como starred in his own NBC radio show, The Chesterfield Supper Club, which from 1948 was also televised. By this time Como was one of the most popular singers in the country. The Perry Como Show, a 15-minute variety show, began appearing three times a week on CBS in 1950. When the show moved to NBC (1955–59) it became a one-hour weekly variety show. Opening with Como performing the theme “Dream Along with Me,” the show was also known for the popular “Letters, we get letters” segment, in which Como sang songs that his viewers requested.

Beginning in 1959 Como served as host of the Kraft Music Hall; he ended his weekly appearances in 1963. After that he hosted numerous seasonal specials, often several times a year. His Christmas specials, broadcast from various countries, were most popular. They were annual through 1986, the final one being recorded in Ireland in 1994. During the later years of Como’s career, he enjoyed such hits as “It’s Impossible,” “And I Love You So,” and “For the Good Times.” Como was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987, and he received a posthumous Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. In 2024 the U.S. Library of Congress added a 1957 recording of Como’s “Catch a Falling Star/Magic Moments” to the National Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”