Jerry Vale: Difference between revisions

 

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He sang the ”[[Late Night with David Letterman]]” anthem “It’s A Late Night World” on the program’s eighth anniversary special in 1990. He made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film ”[[Goodfellas]]” and the 1995 film ”[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]”, both directed by [[Martin Scorsese]].<ref name=”nytobit”>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/arts/music/jerry-vale-crooned-smoothly-of-love-is-dead-at-83.html?_r=0 |title=Jerry Vale, Crooned Smoothly of Love, Is Dead at 83 |first=Ashley |last=Southall |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

He sang the ”[[Late Night with David Letterman]]” anthem “It’s A Late Night World” on the program’s eighth anniversary special in 1990. He made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film ”[[Goodfellas]]” and the 1995 film ”[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]”, both directed by [[Martin Scorsese]].<ref name=”nytobit”>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/arts/music/jerry-vale-crooned-smoothly-of-love-is-dead-at-83.html?_r=0 |title=Jerry Vale, Crooned Smoothly of Love, Is Dead at 83 |first=Ashley |last=Southall |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his later years.<ref name=hollywoodreporter.com/>

Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his later years.<ref name=hollywoodreporter.com/>

|title=Jerry Vale remembered fondly by desert friends |url=https://eu.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/2014/05/19/jerry-vale-dies-coachella-valley/9311857/ |work=The Desert Sun |date=May 19, 2014 |access-date=January 30, 2026}}</ref>

==Personal life==

==Personal life==

In 1959, Vale married Rita Grapel, an actress. His biography ”A Singer’s Life”, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles.

In 1959, Vale married Rita Grapel, an actress. His biography ”A Singer’s Life”, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles.

==Death==

==Death==

American traditional pop singer (1930–2014)

Musical artist

Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American traditional pop singer. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover of Eddy Arnold hit “You Don’t Know Me” (1956) and “Have You Looked into Your Heart” (1964). Vale, who was of Italian descent, sang numerous songs in Italian, many of which were used in soundtracks of films by Martin Scorsese.^[1]

Vale showed his love of Italian music with his albums, I Have But One Heart (1962) and Arrivederci, Roma (1963), full of Italian standards such as “Amore, Scusami“, “Ciao, Ciao, Bambina“, “Arrivederci, Roma“, and “O Sole Mio“.^[2] His renditions of “Volare“, “Innamorata (Sweetheart)”, and “Al di là” became classic Italian-American songs.^[3]

Vale was born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano in the Bronx, New York, to Italian immigrant parents^[1] and grew up in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, which at the time was composed mainly of Italian-American families.^[4] In high school, to earn money, Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop, singing while he worked. His boss, Vito Veneziano, liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy. Vale started singing in high school musicals and at a local nightclub. Still a teenager, he left school to work in a factory as an oiler alongside his father.^[4][5]

Vale’s early nightclub performances led to additional shows in the early 1950s, including one lasting for three years at the Enchanted Room, a club in Yonkers, New York. When Paul Insetta (road manager for singer Guy Mitchell and hit songwriter) heard him there, he signed him to a management contract and further coached him.^[2] Insetta arranged for Vale to record some demonstration records of songs he’d written, and he brought them to Columbia Records. Guy Mitchell introduced Vale to Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at Columbia Records. Vale signed a recording contract, with Insetta as his manager for many years to come. Jerry Vale appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1950 singing “It Isn’t Fair“.

Vale’s first recording with the Columbia label, with accompaniment by Percy Faith and his band, was “You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart”,^[4] reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Vale’s first U.S. hit.^[6] Subsquetently he would release “Two Purple Shadows”, which did better, peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard charts. He would record well into the 1950s, with some other top 40 hits of his being You Don’t Know Me (No. 14) and Innamorata (No. 30).^[6]

In 1962 after a three-year break from studio albums, Vale would release an Italian themed album titled Arrivederci, Roma, where he showcased his love for Italian music.^[2] It contained standards like “Ciao, Ciao, Bambina“, “Arrivederci, Roma“, and “Volare“. The album proved to be his most successful yet, reaching No. 34 on the Billboard and Cashbox album charts.^[7]

His version of “The Star-Spangled Banner“, recorded in late 1963, was a fixture at many sporting events for years, and the gold record Vale received was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.^[2] Vale frequently sang the song at Yankee Stadium. Additionally, he owned the Florida minor-league team Daytona Beach Admirals.^[2]

His biggest hit would come in 1964, with the song “Have You Looked into Your Heart“, which would top the Easy Listening chart. His other singles would perform well on it too, with singles like “Time Alone Will Tell” and “Dommage, Dommage” reaching No. 6 and No. 5 on the chart respectively.^[8] The latter single would be his last apppearence on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 93 in late 1966. Vale would continue recording up until 1978, placing 27 songs on the Easy Listening chart.^[8]

Vale would consistently place albums on the Billboard 200 (then known as the Billboard Top LPs).^[7] The biggest success came in the early 1960s with The Language of Love and Be My Love, but his later albums like Till reached high positions as well.^[9]

In early 1972 Vale released a tribute album to by the then deceased popular singer Nat King Cole, which reached No. 200 in the U.S.^[7] Vale would continue recording albums up until 1974, when their sales went down.

He sang the Late Night with David Letterman anthem “It’s A Late Night World” on the program’s eighth anniversary special in 1990. He made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film Goodfellas and the 1995 film Casino, both directed by Martin Scorsese.^[5]

Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his later years.^[2] Although, his friends continued to encourage him to join them at gatherings and public appearances.^[10]

In 1959, Vale married Rita Grapel, an actress. The two would have a son and a daughter.^[2] His biography A Singer’s Life, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles.^[11]

Jerry Vale died of natural causes in his sleep on May 18, 2014, at his home in Palm Desert, California.^[5] Vale was 83 years old. He and his wife had two children, Robert Vale and Pamela Vale Branch.^[4] He is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Cathedral City, California.

As an actor, Vale appeared as himself in the films Goodfellas and Casino as well as in television series such as The Sopranos, Midnight Caller, Who’s The Boss and Growing Pains.^[12][13]

In the 2016 Disney animated film Zootopia, there is a parody of Vale named Jerry Vole.

Vale is portrayed by Steven Van Zandt in the 2019 film The Irishman.^[14]

In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Vale.^[15]

The list below shows the singer’s studio albums only. His full discography, singles and other releases are described in a separate article.

• Grudens, Richard (2000). Jerry Vale: A Singer’s Life. Celebrity Profiles Publishing. ISBN 1-57579-176-5.