Hugo Peretti facts for kids

Hugo E. Peretti (born December 6, 1916 – died May 1, 1986) was an American songwriter, trumpet player, and music producer. He helped create many popular songs and records.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Hugo Peretti was born in New York City. He came from an Italian American family. As a teenager, he started his music journey playing the trumpet. He performed in a popular entertainment area in upstate New York called the Borscht Belt. Later, he played with bigger orchestras.

In the 1950s, Hugo teamed up with his cousin, Luigi Creatore. They formed a songwriting team known as Hugo & Luigi. This team grew into producing records, which means they helped artists make their songs sound great for release.

Making Hits at Roulette Records

In 1957, Hugo and Luigi became part of Roulette Records. There, they wrote songs for different singers, like Valerie Carr. They also produced many big hits for Jimmie Rodgers.

Some of these famous songs included:

• "Honeycomb" (which became a number one hit on the Billboard charts in 1957)
• "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (which reached number three)
• "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again"
• "Secretly"

Success with RCA Records

Just two years later, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore signed a deal with RCA Records. At RCA, they produced music for famous singers. One of them was Perry Como, a popular singer and TV star. They also worked with other great artists like Sam Cooke and Ray Peterson.

Hugo and Luigi also helped write the English words for a famous song. It was originally a South African song by Solomon Linda called "Mbube." With their new words, it became the huge hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for the group The Tokens.

They also worked with George David Weiss to write "Can't Help Falling in Love" for the legendary Elvis Presley. This song became one of Elvis's most loved hits. Hugo and Luigi also wrote another hit song for Elvis, "Wild in the Country".

In 1964, Hugo and Luigi left RCA. They joined George David Weiss to create a Broadway musical. This musical was called Maggie Flynn and was about the American Civil War. It opened in 1968.

Later Years and Awards

In the 1970s, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore owned part of Avco Records. After that, they started their own record company called H&L Records. They ran this company until they retired at the end of the decade.

Some of their successful records during this time were for groups like The Stylistics and The Softones. In 1977, Hugo and Luigi won a special award. They received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for producing the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar.

Family Life

Hugo Peretti married singer June Winters in 1943. Together, they started a record label for children's music in 1946. It was called Mayfair Records. They released many popular albums where June Winters was known as the "Lady in Blue." Hugo and June had two daughters, Kathy and Tina Marie. June Winters passed away in 2015.

Hugo Peretti died on May 1, 1986, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 69 years old.