Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russia, Berlin arrived in the United States at the age of five. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights, and had his first major international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", in 1911. He also was an owner of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. It is commonly believed that Berlin could not read sheet music, and was such a limited piano player that he could only play in the key of F-sharp using his custom piano equipped with a transposing lever.
The 1st Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Two separate ceremonies were held simultaneously on the same day; the first hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the second in the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Domenico Modugno, Ross Bagdasarian, and Henry Mancini, each won 2 awards.
"You're Just in Love" is a popular song by Irving Berlin. It was published in 1950 and was first performed by Ethel Merman and Russell Nype in Call Me Madam, a musical comedy that made its debut at the Imperial Theatre in New York City on October 12 that year. The show ran for 644 performances. Ethel Merman also later starred in the 1953 film version. Theatre lore has it that Berlin wrote the song one night after Call Me Madam was not doing well in tryouts. The second act of the show was lacking. "What I'd like to do is a song with the kid ," Merman said. So, Berlin went to his room and later produced the counterpoint song. When Berlin played the song for Merman, she said, "We'll never get off the stage." Reportedly, Berlin played the song for Russell Nype first, but admonished him not to admit he did so because it would infuriate Merman.
Saturday Night with Mr. C was Perry Como's third RCA Victor 12" long-play album, and his first recorded in stereophonic sound. The album is structured as an extended version of the request section of his popular television show, beginning and ending with his theme songs "Dream Along With Me" and "You Are Never Far Away" and with his TV request theme, "We Get Letters" used twice in the album as an intro. At the time, Perry was seen on NBC's Saturday night schedule at 8 P.M. Eastern Time.
When You Come to the End of the Day is Perry Como's fourth RCA Victor 12" long-playing album, released in 1958 and the second recorded in stereophonic sound. It was recorded as an album of inspirational songs featuring well known traditional hymns such as "In the Garden" and modern inspirational tunes including "May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You". The album was reissued on compact disc in 2001.
Sing to Me Mr. C was Perry Como's Eighth RCA Victor 12" long-play album. Joe Lipman was the chief music arranger for the release.
"They Say It's Wonderful" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the musical Annie Get Your Gun (1946), where it was introduced by Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton. A film version in 1950 again featured the song when it was performed by Howard Keel and Betty Hutton. More recently it was performed in an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel by Darius de Haas.
By Request is Perry Como's Ninth RCA Victor 12" long-play album.
The Songs I Love was Perry Como's 11th RCA Victor 12" long-play album and the first featuring RCA Victor's Dynagroove technology.
Perry Como Live On Tour was Perry Como's 27th 12" long-play album for RCA Records and his second live album. It was rereleased on CD in 2015 by Real Gone Music.
So It Goes, sometimes called So It Goes - Goodbye For Now, is a 1983 album by Perry Como, his 28th and penultimate such release for RCA Records.
Today is the 29th studio album by Perry Como. It was his final album for RCA Records and of his 50-year music career. This is also the penultimate recording ever made by Perry Como, the last being for a Christmas television special in 1994. This album is also significant in that it was the first and only album of Como's career to be released contemporaneously in both vinyl LP format and compact disc.
"It's a Lovely Day Today" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for his successful musical Call Me Madam (1950) when it was introduced by Russell Nype and Galina Talva. The musical was adapted as a movie in 1953 and the song "It's a Lovely Day Today" was performed by Donald O'Connor and Vera-Ellen.
"The Best Thing for You " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin and published in 1950. It was featured in the 1950 Broadway musical play Call Me Madam, in which it was introduced by Ethel Merman in a scene with Paul Lukas. The 1953 film version also featured the song when it was sung by Ethel Merman and George Sanders.
"When I Lost You" is a song with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It was written in 1912 after his wife of five months, the former Dorothy Goetz, died of typhoid fever. In it he poured out the grief of his loss; it was the only song that he ever admitted had such a connection to his own life. The song, a ballad, was unlike any of Berlin's previous songs, which were upbeat tunes written to take advantage of the dance craze. The song is in a slow waltz tempo. It became Berlin's first hit ballad.
Season's Greetings from Perry Como, originally released in 1959, was Perry Como's sixth RCA Victor 12-inch long-play album and the fourth recorded in stereophonic sound, as well as his first major full-length Christmas album.
Perry Como was a prolific recording artist for the RCA Victor label between 1943 and 1987, and is credited with numerous gold records. Como had so many recordings achieve gold-record status that he refused to have many of them certified. Over the decades, Como is reported to have sold millions of records, including fifteen of his singles selling over a million copies but he commonly suppressed these figures.
And I Love You So was Perry Como's 21st 12" long-play album released by RCA Records.
Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music was Perry Como's first Christmas album, originally issued by RCA Victor as a 78 RPM album set in 1946. The original release included "O Little Town of Bethlehem" which was replaced in 1947 by Irving Berlin's famous song "White Christmas". This album, along with Como's later stereophonic Christmas albums, Season's Greetings from Perry Como and The Perry Como Christmas Album, from 1959 and 1968 respectively, are among the all-time best-selling Christmas albums. RCA has reissued Merry Christmas Music several times.
Wise Guy, which had at different points the working titles The Last Resorts, Palm Beach, The Mizner Story, and Sentimental Guy, is a musical whose music and lyrics were written by Irving Berlin between 1952 and 1956. It has never been produced.
