Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
Known by his colleagues as a "singer's singer" and a "musician's musician," Buddy Greco has sold more than one million records. He is well-known for releasing songs from every genre, from jazz to country to pop music. He has performed on stage, on film and on television.
Born Armando Greco in Philadelphia, Buddy Greco began singing and playing the piano at the age of four. He used his talents performing on the radio. By the age of 16 Buddy Greco had more than a decade of musical experience behind him. He was playing in the nightclub Philadelphia's Club 13 when he was spotted by Benny Goodman. Bandleader Benny Goodman was impressed by Buddy Greco's talents and hired him as a pianist, a singer and an arranger. At the age of 16 Buddy Greco was traveling the world with one of the most popular big bands of the '30s, the Benny Goodman Band. He stayed with the band for four years.
At the ripe age of 20 Buddy Greco decided to pursue a solo professional music career. He began singing and performing in nightclubs and concerts. Some of his hit recordings include the popular favorites "Oh Look at Her, Ain't She Pretty," "The Lady Is A Tramp" and "Around the World." During his musical career he has made more than 65 albums including an album of he and the London Symphony Orchestra, in which he conducted and played.
In the '60s Buddy Greco's music career had been very successful. He appeared with the popular '60s rock group the Beatles in a performance for Queen Elizabeth the second. It was also in the '60s when Buddy Greco seriously began a career in film and television. In 1967 he was a regular performer on the TV series Away We Go. This nationwide television program gave Buddy Greco enormous exposure as a talented singer and pianist. He followed this series with a part in the 1969 film, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. His talents have taken him to great heights recording more than 100 hit singles. During the '70s and '80s, Buddy Greco concentrated on recording and performing. His hits included jazz, country and pop music. Audiences are astounded at the many styles of Buddy Greco.
Even after more than four decades of performing, Buddy Greco still remains one of the most widely-known singers of his time. In the early 90s he toured with "The Salute to the Benny Goodman Band." The ensemble performed 72 shows, each garnering a standing ovation. He performed for two years at The Desert Inn Hotel in Las Vegas and in 1996 ended two world tours at Café Royale in London.
With all his musical credits, Buddy Greco is an inductee of the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame and has entries in both the Encyclopedia of Great Musicians and the Encyclopedia of Great Jazz Singers and Musicians. Buddy Greco's musical abilities live on in his more than 60 albums and more than 100 hit singles. He writes and records scores for film and television.
Wikipedia:
Buddy Greco (born August 14, 1926) is an American singer and pianist.
Biography [edit]
He was born Armando Greco in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Greco began playing piano at the age of four. His first professional work was playing with Benny Goodman's band. Most of Greco's work has been in the jazz and pop genres. He has recorded songs such as Oh Look A-There, Ain't She Pretty, "The Lady is a Tramp", "Up, Up and Away" and "Around the World", and has released about 72 albums and 100 singles. Greco has had an active concert career playing in symphony halls, theatres, nightclubs, and Las Vegas showrooms. In the 1960s he made appearances with the Rat Pack. Greco played the nightclub singer Lucky in the 1969 film The Girl Who Knew Too Much. In 1967, Greco starred in the summer replacement television series Away We Go with drummer Buddy Rich and comedian George Carlin.
Greco has recorded albums for the Columbia/Epic and Reprise record labels, and other minor labels. His most popular albums were On Stage and Buddy's Back in Town, both with Columbia. His most successful single was "The Lady is a Tramp", which sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Greco recorded an album entitled Movin' On which included his version of the Marvin Gaye standard "What's Going On". Greco recorded sporadically after this album, but he continued performing live shows, and has performed in most of the top nightclubs in the world. His last nationally charted record was "From Atlanta to Goodbye", on the Scepter label, which made Billboard's Easy Listening Top 40 in 1969. Living in Palm Desert, California, Greco continued to appear at his club in Cathedral City, California, until its closure in August 2009. In 2004 Greco and his spouse Lezlie Anders were headliners with the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California.
In 2008, Greco toured the UK with Anders. Together they performed dates with the BBC Big Band and played at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Greco was the first Las Vegas headliner to star at a British casino when he performed in cabaret on 8 August 2008 at the Circus Casino, Star City, Birmingham. In April 2010 he performed a live concert for BBC Radio 2 with the 42-piece BBC Concert Orchestra as a salute to Frank Sinatra. He toured the UK for over 30 dates from July 2010 with the Swinging Las Vegas Legends Show. He has produced, with his wife of 15 years, vocalist Lezlie Anders, a stage show titled 'FEVER! The Music of Miss Peggy Lee', which has met with critical acclaim, and opened in London's West End in the spring of 2010.
On New Year's Eve 2011 he made a guest appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny singing Fly Me to the Moon backed by the Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.
In 2008, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him and spouse Lezlie Anders.
Personal life [edit]
Greco has been married five times:
Sally Baionno (1947–1962), divorced, 3 childrenDani Crayne (1961–1974), actress, divorcedMargret Kinley (1974–1977), divorced, 1 child Anastasia GrecoJackie Sabatino (1977–?), 3 childrenLezlie Anders (14 April 1995–present)
