13 Facts About Jerry Vale

Jerry Vale was born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano in the Bronx, New York, to Italian immigrant parents and grew up in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, which at the time was composed mainly of Italian-American families.

In high school, to earn money, Jerry Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop, singing while he worked.

Jerry Vale started singing in high school musicals and at a local nightclub.

Jerry Vale signed a recording contract, with Insetta as his manager for many years to come.

Jerry Vale appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1950 singing "It Isn't Fair".

Jerry Vale's first recording with the Columbia label, with accompaniment by Percy Faith and his band, was "You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart", reached No 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Jerry Vale's first US hit.

Jerry Vale's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", recorded in late 1963, was a fixture at many sporting events for years, and the gold record Vale received was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Jerry Vale sang the Late Night with David Letterman anthem "It's A Late Night World" on the program's eighth anniversary special in 1990.

Jerry Vale made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film Goodfellas and the 1995 film Casino, both directed by Martin Scorsese.

Jerry Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his later years.

Jerry Vale died of natural causes in his sleep on May 18,2014, at his home in Palm Desert, California.

Jerry Vale is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Cathedral City, California.

Jerry Vale is portrayed by Steven Van Zandt in the 2019 film The Irishman.