Don Cornell

He was born Luigi Francisco Varlaro in New York City, April 21, 1919 . Cornell got his start with trumpeter Red Nichols and big band leader Sammy Kaye before going solo. He sold over 50 million records. Among his hits were "It Isn't Fair," "I'm Yours," "I'll Walk Alone," and "Hold My Hand." In 1993, he was inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame.

Ah the magic of Love and Romance and Life. That's what Don Cornell sings about, and no one else does it better. The voice is more powerful today than ever before. That hardly seems possible to those who remember his string of hits in the '50s; however, Don continues to amaze sellout audiences around the world who come to hear his resonant and pulsating golden pipes gild every word and shape every phrase in the inimitable Cornell style.

Speaking of those bygone years when Don was one of the "boy singers" who started with the big bands, Don recalls that Perry Como and he landed their first jobs with different bands on the same day 60 years ago. They had remained very close friends over the years. In 1979, Don moved to Florida with his dearest and most dedicated fan and personal manager, his wife Iris and frequently met Perry on the golf course.

It was as a guitar player that Don entered the music world. When he joined the band of famed trumpeter Red Nichols. It was Sammy Kaye, however, that Don launched the long and illustrious singing career that has spanned more than four decades and sold well over 50 million records, a career that was formally honored in 1963 as one of the first stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1993 he was inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame.

"It Isn't Fair," Don's first gold record hit as a solo performer, was followed by his other legendary standards, "I'm Yours," "I'll Walk Alone" and "Hold My Hand." Don chalked up a total of 12 gold records between 1950-1962 at a consistent pace of one per year. He remains the last of the Big Band Singers.

By this time, he had become the top recording artist in the nation with three of his discs occupying the Top Ten charts. You name the supper club and Cornell has been there - oftentimes playing to record-breaking audiences. His TV guest appearances ranged from Arthur Godfrey and Perry Como to Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson, etc. Australia and Britain adored him as well. His appearance at the Paladium in London stopped traffic around Piccadilly.

Don Cornell, who started as a Bronx kid named Luigi Francisco Varlaro, has done it all, from making a dozen gold record hits in as many years to setting house records in Kansas City as a musical comedy star, from TV talk show host to acting in the B. L. Stryker and Miami Vice TV drama series. From being a perennial headliner on the Las Vegas-Reno-Lake Tahoe scene and in Atlantic City to filling guest artists slots with symphony orchestras.

Don Cornell's career took an interesting turn when Iris released his original recordings of the '50s and '60s on double length CD/cassette in January of 1996. Carl Reese, radio personality from Music of Your Life, says "The new double CD/cassette Something To Remember Me By Vol.I & II, on IRIS RECORDS/MCA, is a vocal masterpiece of 40 big hits performed superbly by a giant talent in the industry." Something To Remember Me By was followed by a 46-song double CD I'll Be Seeing You and soon after a 26 sog CD From Italy With Love.

These collections have been eagerly embraced by radio stations throughout the country and has renewed Don's acquaintance with fans from far flung places who remember him fondly from the big band days. It is very rare for an artist of this era to release new material so fans were thrilled when in 1993 Don Cornell Now and If I Never Sing Another Song was released and to discover that Don sounds as good today as he did at the height of his gold record career.

Don continues to take his show on the road and thanks to the success of Don's newest release "Something to Remember Me By" the road grows longer and longer. Now at an age when most entertainers retire to "off center stage," Cornell "stays off the rocker" and continues to "rock" stages, nightclubs, concert halls, hotels and festivals around the country. Thirty to thirty-five weeks a year, Cornell is "belting" old and new hits and his "Something to Remember Me By" is nothing short of sensational.

n the past six decades, we have seen Don evolve from big band singer to superstar vocalist to television and stage actor. The 2000s are again bringing Don to the forefront of his musical genre via one of the most critically acclaimed live shows on the circuit and a new hit recording, both of which have created a buzz heard from New York to Java. (click here to see reviews)

Don firmly believes the best is yet to come and looks forward to ushering his distinctive big band sound into the 21st century. Based on his steady progression thus far, it is certain to be his best one yet! Don died on February 23, 2004.