Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Jimmy Roselli / Popular Italian-American Crooner
themusicsover Jimmy Roselli
1925 – June 30, 2011
Jimmy Roselli was an American pop singer who made his mark during the ’50s and ’60s. Considered one of the most important Italian-American singers of the era, Roselli could easily hold court with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Perry Como. He had not even hit his teens when he began singing in local Hoboken, New Jersey clubs, and when Roselli was 14, he got his first break by winning a radio amateur hour. His next one came in 1946 when he was offered a slot on a Jimmy Durante bill. Durante was so impressed by his singing, that he made theater management double Roselli’s pay. And since Durante was one of the most popular performers at the time, Roselli continued to win new fans as he continued to perform with him. What made him so popular was that he had a perfect pitch for the traditional songs of Naples. That endeared him to the immigrants who longed for the music from back home. Over the course of his long career, Roselli released over 30 albums and scored hits with “There Must Be A Way, ” “Mala Femmina,” and “When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New” to name a few. He was also a popular live draw, performing sell-out shows in Atlantic City, and at New York’s Copacabana and Palace Theater. It was at the latter that he and comic Pat Cooper partnered for a popular two-man show. It should be noted that unlike Sinatra, Roselli apparently kept the mob at arm’s reach, by not letting them give his career any assistance. For that, he shared a love/hate relationship with them – they loved his music, but hated the fact that they couldn’t control his career. Roselli retired in 2004, moved to Florida, and on June 30, 2011, passed away at the age of 85.
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