Jerry Vale, one of the most popular of the many crooners who carved out a niche for themselves in the shadow of Frank Sinatra, has died at the age of 83. Born Genaro Louis Vitaliano, the young Vale had an early career trajectory that seemed straight out of an old movie: His talents were first detected when, at age 11, he got a job shining shoes at a barbershop in his New York neighborhood, where he entertained customers by singing while he worked. After his boss offered to spring for a voice coach, Vale started performing in supper clubs at the age of 15.
In 1950, a long-running gig at a Yonkers nightclub led to an audition for Mitch Miller, Columbia Records’ powerful A&R man and taste-making czar of pre-rock pop. Working according to Miller’s instincts and instructions, Vale recorded a string of singles and tribute albums to singers Buddy Clark and Russ Columbo. By 1961, he had done well enough on the charts for Columbia to issue his first Greatest Hits collection.
That phase of his career completed, Vale was finally able to persuade a skeptical Miller to allow him to record an album of the Italian songs he’d originally cut his teeth on. 1962’s I Have But One Heart—named for a song that would earn an immortal place in pop culture 10 years later, when Johnny Fontaine sang it to Connie Corleone at her wedding in The Godfather—was such a hit that Vale repeated the formula on his next album, Arrivederci, Roma.