- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGiovanni Alfredo de Simone
- Singer, songwriter ("Oh, My Darlin'"), author and actor, educated at the Detroit Conservatory of Music, and a band vocalist with the orchestras of Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa and Bob Crosby. He performed regularly, even through his final illness, in live venues, and made many records and radio/television and stage appearances throughout his career including roles in the Broadway musicals "Say Darling" and "Funny Girl". Joining ASCAP in 1956, his other popular-song compositions include "How Much Will I Miss You", "Please Don't Forget Me Dear", "I Wonder What Little Dogs Dream Of", "Dancing Man", and "When".- IMDb Mini Biography By: Hup234!
- SpouseRuth Keddington(January 3, 1942 - September 6, 1985) (his death, 2 children)
- While he played the part of Nick Arnstein in the Broadway cast of "Funny Girl" he was not considered enough of a 'big name draw' to play the part in the movie version of the musical.
- In 1939, he formed his own singing group. The group was first called the "Downbeats", but after being hired to work with Bob Crosby's big band in 1940, it was renamed the "Bob-O-Links".
- During his time with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force orchestra he performed on a number of propaganda broadcasts aimed at German troops. He sang German-language versions of several of the band's hits, including "Mein Herz Sagt Mir" (My Heart Tells Me), "Wo und Wann" (Where or When), and "Lang ist's Her und Weit Zuruck" (Long Ago and Far Away).
- As a boy, he sang on a local radio station but, at age 15, he quit to work at his father's grocery. He still retained a love of music, however, and went to the Detroit Conservatory of Music briefly before heading to the nightclub circuit, playing piano and singing.
- Singer of the 1949 Hit: "Mockin' Bird Hill" (Auf der Alm in Tirol) with music by Vaughn Horton.
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