Vinton, Bobby

singer - entertainer

In the field of entertainment, Bobby Vinton is considered one of the top popular singing stars in the second half of the twentieth century. The hit songs he has given us have become classics. His impressive list of hits includes popular songs such as "Roses Are Red" and "Mr. Lonely." His songs are recognized as standards throughout the world and his music has retained its vitality and relevance through our changing times. Bobby's hit-making capability was again evidenced with his "Melody of Love," when it became the Number One song in America and was embraced by Polish Americans around the country. During the first epoch of the rock era, between 1962 and 1972, Vinton had more Number One hits than any other male vocalist including Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. A multi-talented musician as well as singer and actor, Bobby was born in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a locally popular band. leader, Stan Vinton. His parents encouraged him to study music, and at the age of 16, he formed his first band and the money he earned helped finance his college education at Duquesne University. There he studied music and graduated with a degree in musical composition. At Duquesne, he became proficient on all of the instruments in the band (piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, drums and the oboe) - a talent which he frequently displays in his nightclub appearances. His hits, such as "Roses Are Red". "Blue On Blue", "Blue Velvet", "Mr. Lonely", "There I've Said It Again", "Please Love Me Forever", "Tell Me Why", "Sealed With A Kiss", "Everyday Of My Life", "I Love How You Love Me", and of course, "My Melody Of Love" , have sold millions of records.

From: Wally West

[Book Cover] [space] The Polish Prince by Bobby Vinton

Teenage idol of the 60s ... ethnic hero of the 70s, singer and multi-talented musician, Bobby Vinton has sold over 30 million records.

Now Vinton tells his own story - an almost legendary tale of a regular kid from smalltown America (in this case Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania), whose musical talent- nurtured by the common sense and old-fashioned decency of those who loved him - propelled him to fame and a pop music career that has endured for two generations.

"The Polish Prince" is a title Vinton earned in recent years because of his pride in his Polish background and his desire to do something special for Polish Americans. That "something" was "My Melody of Love," a song he wrote with lyrics half in Polish, half in English, that caused a great outpouring of affection for Vinton from not only the Polish American community, but other ethnic groups as well. Within a matter or weeks, it became the #1 recording in the nation.

In all, Vinton has earned over a dozen Gold Records. And in the years he's been on top in the music business, there has never been a breath of the scandal or controversy that surrounds so many stars. Vinton's family comes first, he says - a fact that he feels has helped, not hindered, him as a professional entertainer. The Polish Prince is an inspiring story that reveals the man behind the showman.

M. Evans & Co., New York, 1978
ISBN 0-87131-270-0