[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN HONOR OF THE 88TH BIRTHDAY OF PERRY COMO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I celebrate the 88th birthday of 
Perry Como, a great entertainer and Grammy Award winner.
  Perry Como was born the seventh son in a family of thirteen children 
on May 18, 1912 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He began working at the 
age of ten in a barbershop, sweeping and sharpening. By age fourteen, 
he had his own shop with two barbers working for him.
  In 1933, Perry Como was encouraged by a friend to audition for a 
vocalist part with Freddy Carlone's Dance Band. Although he would earn 
less than a quarter of the income he made as a barber, Como accepted 
the job when he was offered the position. When he left Canonsburg to 
tour with the band, his girlfriend, Roselle Belline, went with him. The 
couple married on July 31, 1933.
  Throughout the next years, Perry toured the country, first with 
Freddy Carlone's Band, and later with the Ted Weems Band. While 
performing with the Ted Weems Band in Chicago, Perry left the stage in 
the middle of a performance to be with his wife as she gave birth to 
their first child, a son named Ronnie. The Como's later adopted another 
son, David, and a daughter, Terri.
  In 1941, Ted Weems joined the Armed Forces and his orchestra 
disbanded. Perry Como was offered his own nightly 15-minute radio show 
for CBS in New York. This break led to a contract with RCA Victor that 
would begin Perry Como's recording career. Two years after signing with 
RCA Victor, Perry had his first major hit with Till the End of Time.
  Perry Como had a series of popular hits in the forties and fifties. 
In 1958, he won the first Best Male Vocal Grammy award for the song 
Catch a Falling Star. His radio show, which had transferred to 
television in the late forties, was also successful, running from 1948-
1950 as the Chesterfield Supper Club, then from 1950-59 as the Perry 
Como Show. From 1960 through 1963, Perry Como hosted the Kraft Music 
Hall.
  My fellow colleagues, join with me in celebrating the notable and 
inspiring career of Perry Como on the momentous occasion of his 88th 
birthday.

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