Sonny King (singer) explained

Sonny King
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Luigi Antonio Schiavone
Birth Date:April 1, 1922[1]
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York
Death Place:Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation:Lounge Singer, Actor
Instrument:Vocals
Years Active:1952–2006

Sonny King (April 1, 1922  - February 3, 2006) was an American lounge singer of Italian descent.

He was born as Luigi Antonio Schiavone on April 1, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the sidekick of Jimmy Durante for 28 years until Durante's death in 1980.[2] They appeared together on The Ed Sullivan Show five times in the 1960s. King shared a New York apartment with Dean Martin when the two were struggling entertainers, and is credited with introducing Martin to a young comedian Jerry Lewis.[3] [4]

Although not an official Rat Pack member, he was close friends with many Rat Pack entertainers and appeared in movies such as Robin and the Seven Hoods and Sergeants 3. He recorded an album "For Losers Only" and shared the stage with jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Joe Williams and many more. King moved to Las Vegas in the early 1950s and was a fixture on the strip and local clubs until his death on February 3, 2006, from cancer. He was 83 years old.

Being brought up in vaudeville and trained in operatic vocals and comedy, all these elements composed the foundation of what became the quintessential "Vegas lounge singer" persona.

Sonny had seven children: Thomas Stephens, Michael Stephens, Craig Unger, Shannon Ward, Antoinette Schiavone, Louis Schiavone II and Christopher Schiavone.

Discography

YearTitleLabelFormatnotes
1951If You Were Mine/ No MoreLondon78 RPMRecorded in November 1950.[5] King had been performing in London for much of 1950 after being scouted while performing at Leon and Eddie's Sunday celebrity night.[6]
1953Crazily/She's Just an Old Memr'y NowNocturne78 RPMNocturne's first release; Songs written by Jimmy Krondes, the label co-founder.[7] [8]
1955So Doggone Lonely/You Shouldn'tNocturne45 RPMNocturne 1003; Songs written by Jimmy Krondes.[9] [10]
1959For Losers OnlyColpixLPCP 402; Arrangements by Johnny Williams (aka John WiIliams) [11] [12]
1959You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You/ MasqueradeColpix45 RPMCP 107; Single from "For Losers Only"[13]
1959Am I Blue/ (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is OverPye45 RPMPP-013; Australian single from "For Loser's Only" [14]
1961Jimmy Durante "At the Copacabana"RouletteLPR-25123; Live album recorded at the Copacabana. Sonny sang in Durante's live act on this album sang medleys of: My Loving Melody Man/Ragtime Daddy/I Love You, I Do and We're Going Home/Who Will Be With You/Don't Talk About Us When We Are Gone/You Made Me Love You.[15] [16]

Filmography[17]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1962Sergeants 3 Corporal
1964Robin and the Seven Hoods Robbo's Hood #2
1991Mission: Killfast Murak
2007Somebody Help MeCorbin
2010Somebody Help Me 2Corbin

References

  1. Web site: Sonny King. .
  2. News: Las Vegas Review-Journal Obituary. Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  3. Web site: Sonny King appearing on the Colgate Comedy Hour with Martin and Lewis.. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/QM055An2fo0 . 2021-12-19 . live. . 1955-06-05. 2019-06-25.
  4. Web site: NPR excerpt of "Dean and Me: A Love Story" a book by Jerry Lewis. NPR.
  5. "Chatter: London", Variety magazine Vol. 180, Iss. 11,  (Nov 22, 1950) page 60.
  6. "Guild' Nix of Celebrity Nights May Stymie Showcasing of Talent", Variety, Jun 14, 1950, page 66
  7. Web site: Billboard Magazine 1953-09-12 p. 20. 1953-09-12. Billboard Magazine archive on American Radio History. 2019-06-24.
  8. Web site: Cashbox Magazine 1953-10-17 p. 10. 1953-10-19. American Radio History's archive of Cashbox Magazine. 2019-06-24.
  9. Web site: The Billboard Magazine 5/29/1955 p.54. 1955-05-29. Billboard Magazine Archive on American Radio History website. 2019-06-24.
  10. Web site: Cash Box magazine June 4, 1955 p. 10. June 4, 1955. American Radio History's web archive of Cashbox Magazine. 2019-06-24.
  11. Web site: Sonny King (2) - For Losers Only. Discogs. en. 2019-06-24.
  12. Web site: The Billboard Magazine 3/23/1959 p. 36. 1959-03-23. Google books listing of The Billboard magazine's 3/23/1959 issue, review on p. 36. 2019-06-24.
  13. Web site: Sonny King (2) - Masquerade / You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. Discogs. en. 2019-06-24.
  14. Web site: Sonny King (2) - Am I Blue. Discogs. en. 2019-06-24.
  15. Web site: Jimmy Durante - Jimmy Durante At The Copacabana. Discogs. 1961 . en. 2019-06-25.
  16. Book: Bakish, David. Jimmy Durante: His Show Business Career, with an Annotated Filmography and Discography. 2007-03-07. McFarland. 9780786430222. en.
  17. Web site: Sonny King. IMDb. 2019-06-24.