Perry Como

The seventh son of a seventh son, Como started out playing trombone in the Canonsburg town brass band, near Pittsburgh, and was the organist in the local church. After graduating from school, he opened a barber shop before adopting Bing Crosby's crooning style to sing with the Freddy Carlone Band, later joining the Ted Weems Orchestra. Signed to CBS, he became a popular night club singer and had his first hit in 1945 with the ballad Till The End Of Time. He landed his own TV show and was the first artist to have 10 records sell more than a million with some of the biggest hits of the 1950s, including If, No Other Love and Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes. Catch A Falling Star - which was Como's last major hit - was certified as the first official gold record in 1957. He spent 50 years recording for the RCA label, making his last chart appearance in 1973 with a cover of Don McLean's And I Love You So. He died in his sleep in 2001.