Julius La Rosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julius La Rosa
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La Rosa in 1955
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 2, 1930 New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 2016 (aged 86) Crivitz, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Genres | Traditional pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1951–2016 |
| Labels |
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| Spouse(s) |
Rosemary Meyer
(m. 1956) |
| Children | 2 children |
Julius La Rosa (born January 2, 1930 – died May 12, 2016) was a famous American singer. He was known for his traditional pop music and worked in radio and television starting in the 1950s. He became a big star and had many hit songs.
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His Early Life
Julius La Rosa was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents had moved there from Italy. He went to school in Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. When he was 17, after finishing high school, he joined the United States Navy. He worked as a radioman. While in the Navy, he loved to sing. He sang in the Navy choir and at clubs.
Becoming a Star
Julius La Rosa's Navy friends told Arthur Godfrey about his amazing voice. Godfrey was a very popular radio and TV star at the time. He was also a Naval Reserve officer. They arranged for La Rosa to audition for Godfrey in Florida. Godfrey was very impressed and offered him a job.
La Rosa left the Navy in November 1951. Just a few days later, he appeared on Godfrey's TV show. He quickly became a regular on both Arthur Godfrey Time (a morning show) and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (a Wednesday night variety show).
He was on Godfrey's shows from 1951 to 1953. Godfrey's band leader, Archie Bleyer, started a record company called Cadence Records. Julius La Rosa was the first singer they signed! His first song, "Anywhere I Wander," became a top 30 hit. His next song, "My Lady Loves to Dance," was also popular. Because of his hit songs and TV appearances, Julius La Rosa became incredibly famous. At one point, he received more fan mail than Arthur Godfrey himself!
A Big Change in His Career
Arthur Godfrey liked to be in charge of his shows and the people who worked for him. He saw his cast members as a family, but he was definitely the boss. Godfrey didn't want his performers to hire their own managers. He preferred to handle everything himself.
One rule Godfrey had was for all cast members to take dance classes. This was to help them look better on camera. Julius La Rosa didn't go to these classes. Soon after, he hired his own manager, Tommy Rockwell.
Godfrey was not happy when he found out La Rosa had a manager. On October 19, 1953, after his TV show finished, Godfrey announced on the radio that Julius La Rosa was leaving the show. He said it was "Julie's swan song with us." This meant La Rosa was fired on the air.
Even though it was a public firing, it didn't stop La Rosa's career. Many people felt it was unfair to him.
His Career Soared On
Right after the firing, another famous TV host, Ed Sullivan, quickly invited Julius La Rosa to appear on his show, Toast of the Town. La Rosa's first appearance on Sullivan's show after the incident was a huge success. He appeared many more times that year.
Soon after leaving Godfrey, La Rosa had another massive hit song called "Eh, Cumpari". It reached number 1 on one music chart and number 2 on another! He was even named the best new male singer of 1953. Another big hit followed, called "Domani".
In the summers of 1955, 1956, and 1957, Julius La Rosa even had his own TV show on CBS and NBC, called The Julius La Rosa Show. He sometimes filled in for Perry Como on his show too.
Years later, there was talk of Arthur Godfrey and his old cast members getting back together for a reunion album. Julius La Rosa was open to the idea. However, during a meeting, Godfrey brought up the old firing and they disagreed about what happened. The reunion didn't happen. Even so, La Rosa always said that Godfrey was the one who gave him his start in music.
Beyond Singing
Julius La Rosa appeared in many other TV shows. These included popular comedies like The Honeymooners in 1953 and Laverne and Shirley in 1980. He also acted in a movie called Let's Rock in 1958.
In the 1970s, he became a disc jockey (DJ) at a radio station in New York City, WNEW-AM. He played music and talked on the radio for several hours each afternoon. He even sang some songs that became hits on the station, like "Fire and Rain." He returned to WNEW in the 1980s.
In the 1980s, La Rosa also had a role in the TV soap opera Another World. He played a character named Reynoldo and was even nominated for an Emmy Award for his acting!
He continued to perform in clubs and release music into the early 2000s. A famous music critic once said that his singing was "very direct and unpretentious." Julius La Rosa also often helped out with Jerry Lewis' yearly telethon, which raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
His Life Outside Music
In 1955, Julius La Rosa met Rosemary Meyer, who was the secretary for singer Perry Como. They fell in love and got married. They had two children together.
In 2008, La Rosa shared that music was "a very egotistical thing." He said, "It makes me feel good [...] and fortunately, I have the capacity to make people feel good who hear me feeling good."
Julius and Rosemary lived in Irvington, New York, for over 40 years. In 2015, they moved to Crivitz, Wisconsin. Julius La Rosa passed away there on May 12, 2016, at the age of 86.
His Music Albums
- Julius La Rosa (RCA Victor, 1956)
- The Port of Love (Guest Star, 1959)
- Love Songs à La Rosa (Roulette, 1959)
- On the Sunny Side (Roulette, 1959)
- The New Julie La Rosa (Kapp, 1961)
- You're Gonna Hear from Me (MGM, 1966)
- Hey, Look Me Over (MGM, 1967)
- Words (Metromedia, 1971)
