Sonny King (singer)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2013) |
Sonny King | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Luigi Antonio Schiavone |
| Born | April 1, 1922[1] Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | February 3, 2006 (aged 83) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Occupation(s) | Lounge Singer, Actor |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1952–2006 |
| Formerly of | Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin |
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
[edit]| Year | Title | Label | Format | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | If You Were Mine/ No More | London | 78 RPM | Recorded 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] |
| 1953 | Crazily/She's Just an Old Memr'y Now | Nocturne | 78 RPM | Nocturne's first release; Songs written by Jimmy Krondes, the label co-founder.[7][8] |
| 1955 | So Doggone Lonely/You Shouldn't | Nocturne | 45 RPM | Nocturne 1003; Songs written by Jimmy Krondes.[9][10] |
| 1959 | For Losers Only | Colpix | LP | CP 402; Arrangements by Johnny Williams (aka John WiIliams) [11][12] |
| 1959 | You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You/ Masquerade | Colpix | 45 RPM | CP 107; Single from "For Losers Only"[13] |
| 1959 | Am I Blue/ (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over | Pye | 45 RPM | PP-013; Australian single from "For Loser's Only" [14] |
| 1961 | Jimmy Durante "At the Copacabana" | Roulette | LP | R-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] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Sergeants 3 | Corporal | |
| 1964 | Robin and the Seven Hoods | Robbo's Hood #2 | |
| 1991 | Mission: Killfast | Murak | |
| 2007 | Somebody Help Me | Corbin | |
| 2010 | Somebody Help Me 2 | Corbin |
References
[edit]- ^ "Sonny King". IMDb.
- ^ "Las Vegas Review-Journal Obituary". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- ^ "Sonny King appearing on the Colgate Comedy Hour with Martin and Lewis". YouTube. 1955-06-05. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ "NPR excerpt of "Dean and Me: A Love Story" a book by Jerry Lewis". NPR.
- ^ "Chatter: London", Variety magazine Vol. 180, Iss. 11, (Nov 22, 1950) page 60.
- ^ "Guild' Nix of Celebrity Nights May Stymie Showcasing of Talent", Variety, Jun 14, 1950, page 66
- ^ "Billboard Magazine 1953-09-12 p. 20". Billboard Magazine archive on American Radio History. 1953-09-12. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Cashbox Magazine 1953-10-17 p. 10" (PDF). American Radio History's archive of Cashbox Magazine. 1953-10-19. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "The Billboard Magazine 5/29/1955 p.54". Billboard Magazine Archive on American Radio History website. 1955-05-29. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Cash Box magazine June 4, 1955 p. 10". American Radio History's web archive of Cashbox Magazine. June 4, 1955. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Sonny King (2) - For Losers Only". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "The Billboard Magazine 3/23/1959 p. 36". Google books listing of The Billboard magazine's 3/23/1959 issue, review on p. 36. 1959-03-23. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Sonny King (2) - Masquerade / You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Sonny King (2) - Am I Blue". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ "Jimmy Durante - Jimmy Durante At The Copacabana". Discogs. 1961. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ Bakish, David (2007-03-07). Jimmy Durante: His Show Business Career, with an Annotated Filmography and Discography. McFarland. ISBN 9780786430222.
- ^ "Sonny King". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
 | This article about a United States film actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This article about a United States singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1922 births
- 2006 deaths
- American male film actors
- Singers from Brooklyn
- Musicians from the Las Vegas Valley
- American people of Italian descent
- Deaths from cancer in Nevada
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male singers
- American film actor, 1920s birth stubs
- American singer stubs