Singer don cornell biography

Born Luigi Francisco Varlaro on April 21, c. 1921, in the Bronx, NY; son of Michael Varlaro, a tailor, and Mary Travacanti, a church choir soprano; married Edith Upton; died in 1977; married Iris Hyman, 1979; two adopted children during first marriage: Louis and Donna.

Singer don cornell biography

Addresses: Business--Don Cornell, c/o Iris Cornell Productions, 100 Bayview Dr., Suite 1521, North Miami Beach, FL 33160.

Among the last of the classic big band singers, Don Cornell has built and maintained an active career that spans more that five decades.

Though blessed with the longevity that most performers only aspire to, Cornell's start in the early 1940s did not point to a lasting career. In 1942, when bandleader Sammy "Swing and Sway" Kaye introduced his lead singer Lou Varlaro to the audience, he was met with hisses and boos.

Italian Premier Benito Mussolini had just signed a pact with Germany's Adolph Hitler, and very quickly Italian-Americans had become the target of resentment, dislike, and distrus