I heard on the radio that Perry Como died Saturday at his home in Florida. He was 88.
By all accounts he was a genuinely nice man, and we don’t have enough of those.
That’s all. Carry on.
Perry Como is dead?
How could they tell?
Taint funny Magee! Wonder what shape YOU’LL be in at age 87/88?
Orca joke explanation: it had nothing to do with the gentleman’s age; Perry “Coma” had always been teased for being laid-back to the point of being unconcious.
Though I do tip my hat to Exchi’ for the Fibber McGee reference!
Shall we all take a nap this afternoon in Perry’s honor?
The Rule of Threes strikes again, this time in the world of music!
-
Perry Como
-
Billy Higgins, post-bop drummer best known for his work on the avant-garde Ornette Coleman album THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME
-
Boozoo Chavis, master of the Zydeco push-button accordion
Y’all thinking what I’m thinking? One HECK of a jam session up in heaven today!
HEY!
Getcherself over to my other obit thread (a few lines down the page), where I extoll the late Jason Miller and Deborah Walley!
For the record, Mr. Como was more than just the easygoing guy in the sweater who did Christmas specials on TV in the 60s and 70s (and was often confused with Andy Williams in both regards).
His musical career started in 1944, with the hit “Long Ago and Far Away” (#8 to Crosby’s #5 version. Up through the 50s, it was common for multiple singers to cover hit songs and have hits with their own versions.) He was still hitting the top 40 as late as 1971 with the #10 “It’s Impossible.”
He had 58 songs that made the charts pre rock era (defined a 1955) and another 47 that charted after rock came to town.
While much of his earlier material is fairly dismissable or corny by today’s standards (such as 1951’s “Zing Zing - Zoom Zoom” or 1953’s “Pa-Paya Mama”) he had a smooth voice, and easygoing style, and as Bumbazine noted, no offspring has written a feet-of-clay tell-all expose.
Just listing his #1 charters:
[ul]
1945 - Till the End of Time
1946 - Prisoner of Love
1946 - Surrender
1947 - Chi Baba - Chi Baba
1949 - Some Enchanted Evening
1951 - If
1952 - Don’t Let the Stars Get In Your Eye
1954 - Wanted
1956 - Hot Diggety
1957 - Round and Round
1958 - Catch a Falling Star
[/ul]
Thanks, Mr. C.
-Hometownboy
Yes, it’s a sad day in Canonsburg Pennsylvania, birthplace of both Perry Como and Inky (luckily, my parents made the wise decision to move to California when I was a baby).
I was back there in February to bury Grandpa Inky, and driving past the city hall, I noticed a great big white marble statue. “Carnagie?” I wondered? “Maybe Thomas Edison?”.
Nope. Perry fucking Como. Local hero who got the hell away from the steel mills and coal mines. His autographed picture is in every fucking restaraunt in town.
Jesus, small towns suck…
Anyway, Grandma knew him and says he was a real class act.