Phil Brito - My Goomba Lanza / Dont Be Afraid Of The Night [CD]

Born Philip Colombrito in West Virginia in 1915, Phil Brito was a very popular actor, singer and songwriter who began his career as a singer with the dance orchestras of Jan Savitt and Lloyd Huntley. He went on to appear on radio, in feature films, on theater stages and television, and was also a popular nightclub entertainer. He recorded frequently and charted twice in the US in 1944 with "You Belong to My Heart", which hit #17 and "I Don't Want to Love You (Like I Do)" which hit #14. He had starring roles in such iconic films as "The Music Man" and "Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi." He gained wide notoriety for his interpretation of Italian American songs including his collaborations with Louis Prima. He wrote the English words for the popular Italian song "Mamma son tanto felice," his recording of which hit the charts in May 1946 under the title of "Mama." The song was also recorded by Connie Francis in 1959 for her album Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites, with her hit single released in February 1960. Featured here is his Italian American themed 1963 single "My Goomba Lanza" b/w "Don't Be Afraid Of The Night, coupling a comedic A side reminiscent of his work with Louis Prima, with a tenderly crooned ballad replete with mandolins and accordion for the full Italian effect on the B side.