Buddy Greco

Armando Joseph "Buddy" Greco, born on August 14, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American jazz and pop singer and pianist. Introduced to piano at age four by his mother, Carmela Greco, who was originally from Ripabottoni in Molise, Italy, Greco began singing on the radio as a child and performing in nightclubs during his teenage years. At 16, he joined Benny Goodman's orchestra, touring internationally for four years playing piano, singing, and arranging. Greco started his recording career in 1951 with labels such as Coral, Kapp, Epic, and Reprise. His early albums included Buddy Greco at Mister Kelly's (1956) and Broadway Melodies (1956). In the following years, he released notable works like My Buddy (1959), "The Lady Is a Tramp" (1960), which sold over one million copies, and Songs for Swinging Losers (1961). He also hosted the CBS television series Away We Go! in 1967 with comedian George Carlin. In 1969, he formed a duo with jazz guitarist Ron Escheté. Greco's career saw significant milestones including performing for Queen Elizabeth II and with The Beatles. He conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and had a successful run at the Starlight Room at Stars' Desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1992. This engagement marked the second phase of his career, leading to tours across Italy, France, Australia, and England. In 2004, he and his wife Lezlie Anders were headliners with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California. Greco became acquainted with Great Britain in 1949 and spent many years performing in British clubs. He moved to Essex while keeping his Palm Springs property as a vacation home. In 2008, he performed at the Circus Casino, Star City, Birmingham, becoming the first Las Vegas headliner to star at a British casino. He continued touring the UK with various shows until his death on January 10, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 90. Throughout his career, Greco released over sixty albums, including Let's Love (1961), Buddy & Soul (1962), and Soft and Gentle (1963). He also appeared in the film The Girl Who Knew Too Much. In 1993, he was added to the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame. His album Let the Sunshine In (1969) included notable songs such as "Let the Sunshine In" and "You're My World". In April 2010, he performed a tribute to Frank Sinatra for BBC Radio 2 with the 42-piece BBC Concert Orchestra. Notable posthumous releases include Fly Me to the Moon (2015) and Love (2021).

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