Concert: Damone

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Get your ticket today to enjoy the program of Damone. Damone was born in Brooklyn, NY, on June 12, 1928. His mother was a piano teacher and his father an electrician who also sang and played guitar. It was Sinatra who provided his first musical inclination and inspired him to start voice lessons. His first performances came in at school events. When his father was seriously injured in a work accident, young Vic was forced to leave school to support the family. He got a job at the Paramount Theater in Manhattan as an usher and elevator operator. One night, while taking Perry Como up to his dressing room, Vic gave an impromptu performance, Como encouraged him, referred him to a local bandleader, and became something of a mentor to him. His first release, "I Have But One Heart" (August 30) reached number 7 on the Billboard chart. Ans later "You Do" reached the same height. These were followed by a number of other hits. In 1948 he got his own weekly radio show, Saturday Night Serenade.

On television, Damone was a perennial summer-replacement host, starring in no fewer than five TV variety series between 1956 and 1971. In the latter year, he managed to stage a comeback as a Las Vegas headliner. He managed a parallel career as a film actor and, later, a TV variety host, and remained an active nightclub performer for decades after he disappeared from the charts. Damone scored his first runaway hit in 1949 with "Again," and followed by the similarly successful "You're Breaking My Heart"; both singles sold over a million copies. A steady flow of new releases followed till 1950, with the biggest including "Vagabond Shoes," the Top Ten "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena", "Cincinnati Dancing Pig," and the Top Five "My Heart Cries for You." he hit the Top Ten with "Here in My Heart" (a cover of Al Martino's debut smash), Les Baxter's "April in Portugal," and "Ebb Tide"; he also found some success with the Charlie Chaplin-penned "Eternally."

He appeared in the likes of Athena, Deep in My Heart, Kismet, and Hit the Deck, as well as guesting on Berle's TV show. However, his run of hit singles was coasting to a stop, and when Mercury dropped him, he followed his former A&R man Mitch Miller to Columbia. In 1956, Damone overcame the advent of rock & roll to score a number four pop hit with the My Fair Lady tune "On the Street Where You Live." That year, he also issued his first proper 12" LP, Damone appeared in another film, Meet Me in Las Vegas, and landed the first of what would prove to be several variety-show hosting gigs. his initial TV series, The Vic Damone Show, lasted from 1956-1957.

He appeared in the likes of Athena, Deep in My Heart, Kismet, and Hit the Deck, as well as guesting on Berle's TV show. However, his run of hit singles was coasting to a stop, and when Mercury dropped him, he followed his former A&R man Mitch Miller to Columbia. In 1956, Damone overcame the advent of rock & roll to score a number four pop hit with the My Fair Lady tune "On the Street Where You Live." That year, he also issued his first proper 12" LP, Damone appeared in another film, Meet Me in Las Vegas, and landed the first of what would prove to be several variety-show hosting gigs. his initial TV series, The Vic Damone Show, lasted from 1956-1957.

Damone next moved on to RCA and made a few recordings in the late '60s, but by this time he was primarily a TV personality and frequent variety-show guest. He staged a major concert in Las Vegas in 1971, where he became a regular on the casino circuit; this helped him iron out some financial problems that resulted in a brief period of bankruptcy in the early '70s. Damone subsequently enjoyed a steady career touring nightclubs and casinos around the country, and experienced something of a renaissance in the U.K. during the early '80s. He capitalized with extensive touring there, and also cut a few new albums for RCA during the first half of the decade. In 1987, he married actress Diahann Carroll (his fourth wife), which lasted until 1996. In addition to his live performances, he continued to record occasionally as well. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide. The Out Here All Night EP was self-released in fall 2005 . Check out for the next performance of the rock band.