Reviews for Singing was the easy part
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
One of the most enduring American pop music crooners, Damone, writing with Chanoff, tells his story in this straightforward, honest memoir by an ambitious boy from a middle-class Brooklyn Italian family, rising to fame on hit charts over a 60-year career. In his foreword, CNN talk host Larry King writes, "With a little better luck Vic would have classed right with Frank Sinatra. At that he is probably regarded one rung below, but it is a very short rung." As Damone tells it, he experienced it all-he was a babe magnet with the creamy voice; a one-time Paramount usher, he had his life saved by Frank Sinatra; he dated Ava Gardner and Liz Taylor and married the beautiful actress Pier Angeli; he starred in several films, all this between gigs at Ciro's, Mogambo, the Copa and Vegas. Highlights of this celeb-laden book include dealing with a bigot in defense of boxing champ Sugar Ray Robinson, having mob chieftain Frank Costello save his life against a hateful capo and marrying singer Diahann Carroll. With many dramatic moments, this memoir-complete with bold-faced names and mob stories-makes for a delightful summer read. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Damone is a talented singer who had both the luck and the misfortune to come of age a few years after Frank Sinatra had become a star. He was lucky because Sinatra literally and stylistically paved the way for Damone's career, unfortunate because he would always remain a notch or two below Sinatra's level of success. His life is a classic American rags-to-riches story of talent and determination winning out, and this enjoyable and highly readable memoir feels as if it is being told straight from the man himself-unlike many memoirs written with a supporting writer, which often lose the author's unique voice. This isn't a tell-all but a collection of anecdotes sure to be enjoyed by anyone interested in the last 50 years of American entertainment; Damone relates stories of his career in radio and films, Las Vegas, seemingly obligatory involvement with the Mafia, love, loss, religious reawakening, and even, surprisingly, composer John Williams. A casual, conversational life story; recommended for all public libraries.-Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
So Sinatra calls teenaged Damone after Vic sings Somewhere in the Night There Must Be Someone for Me, which Frank made famous, during a rain delay on the Dodgers' radio network and the punk hangs up on him. Twice. Frankly, he didn't believe it was Francis. A hilarious beginning to an amiable memoir in which Damone, ne Vito Farinola, covers the highlights of a picaresque journey through various marriages, a movie and TV career, and days and nights along the Vegas strip, dropping names en route, including, besides the Chairman, boxers Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta and fellow performers Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. Some more colorful incidents involve Damone's run-ins with the Mob, apparently unavoidable because of extensive gangster interests in his performance venues. The best? Possibly the time when, having broken off his engagement to a mobster's daughter, the put-out papa had Damone dangled upside down from a New York hotel room window. For Vic's aging fans as well as enthusiasts of the great American songbook.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2009 Booklist
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
So Sinatra calls teenaged Damone after Vic sings Somewhere in the Night There Must Be Someone for Me, which Frank made famous, during a rain delay on the Dodgers' radio network and the punk hangs up on him. Twice. Frankly, he didn't believe it was Francis. A hilarious beginning to an amiable memoir in which Damone, né Vito Farinola, covers the highlights of a picaresque journey through various marriages, a movie and TV career, and days and nights along the Vegas strip, dropping names en route, including, besides the Chairman, boxers Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta and fellow performers Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. Some more colorful incidents involve Damone's run-ins with the Mob, apparently unavoidable because of extensive gangster interests in his performance venues. The best? Possibly the time when, having broken off his engagement to a mobster's daughter, the put-out papa had Damone dangled upside down from a New York hotel room window. For Vic's aging fans as well as enthusiasts of the great American songbook.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2009 Booklist
