Jimmy
Roselli has lived in the shadow of Frank Sinatra all his
life. He has what many people consider a better voice,
charming looks and equally good stage energy. Why the
shadow? It goes back to 1969, after Jimmy had made all
his great records for United Artists. He and Sinatra had
a disagreement and Sinatra's Mafia admirers made sure his
records weren't played on radio. Torpedo! Jimmy says "to
get a record of mine played on (WNEW) now, the Lord has
to intercede."
He has retained the rights to all
his records, both his Italian and American classics and
we make them available here. The classic When
Your Old Wedding Ring Was New
is our best seller. The Saloon Songs series is filled
with terrific songs on Volume
#1, Volume
#2 contains the When
Your Old Wedding Ring Was New and Volume
#3 . Other favorites
are The
Italian Album which has
some wonderful Italian tunes on it as does
The
Best Of Volume One and
Volume
Two. Daddy's
Little Girl is filled
with songs parents or grandparents would adore.
They
Used To Call Her Mary
is a musical journey about growing up.
These are only the most popular
titles, he has 25 other gems which are Italian and
American musical treasures sure to treat you each time
you bring one out to listen. When you listen ... just
imagine if that voice had been allowed on WNEW ... the
musical world we know today might have been Roselli's
world!For singing star Jimmy Roselli, who is currently
breaking up audiences at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City,
success did not come easy. It was a rough climb to the
top, from his childhood days in Hoboken, New Jersey to
his present homes, shared with his wife Donna in New
Jersey and Florida.
Jimmy, who missed being a Christmas
baby by two hours, was raised by his two aunts and his
grandfather papa Roselli. It was his grandfather's love
for music that instilled the same enthusiasm in Roselli
so that even at the age of ten, Jimmy was earning a few
dollars by singing weekends at a local Hoboken hotel. As
he explained "I used to wear a bellhop's uniform, but I
didn't do bellhop's work. I just loved to sing. On
Sundays they sent me home early after the first show
because I had to go to school the next morning." Jimmy
worked bars in New Jersey and Staten Island and at the
age of thirteen, won first prize in the Major Bowes
Amateur Hour. He had to leave school to augment the
family income. Among the jobs that Roselli well remembers
were those of shining shoes, washing dishes and running
errands.
Jimmy recalls that the first real
break in his career came about in 1946 when he worked the
same bill as Jimmy Durante in Boston. Durante was
so impressed with Roselli's singing talent that he
invited him to share his suite for the duration of the
engagement. Durante also convinced the management to
double the #300 salary that Roselli was getting and made
certain that he phoned his wife every day. After that,
the Roselli career was strictly on the upswing. Jimmy was
in demand everywhere. The results were
gratifying.
A record contract with United
Artists was signed and during it's duration produced
over 35 best selling albums. Capacity crowds at the
500 Club in Atlantic City, and exciting two week
stands at New York's Palace Theatre with SRO signs
every evening. Sell out houses each year at the
Westbury (LI) Music Fair, followed by three
appearances on the Ed Sullivan television show,
seven record breaking years at the Copa in New
York. Jimmy is the only artist to do two engagements in
the same year at the Copa. His Carnegie Hall
concert broke all records for a Monday night. Roselli
filled the hall for two performances singing in the late
show until two in the morning. 
Critics
say he could have filled the hall for a third performance
and and claimed "Roselli is the gamest, most thrilling
new talent I've heard in months" wrote the New York
World-Telegram and Sun. Roselli recently returned from
London where for the second year in a row he overwhelmed
the English audiences with two incredibly stirring sold
out performances at the London
Palladium.
Jimmy is the parent of a daughter,
Ann. Ann in turn has gifted Jimmy with a grandson,
Michael Louis Bernstein, the joy of Jimmy's
life.
For the last five years, Roselli
fans have packed the house at Trump Plaza in Atlantic
City. Always a sell out. Jimmy spends the evening
chatting and granting their requests to sing more of his
famous Italian songs, but he sings them so superbly, and
with such a full, rich voice that even if you can't
understand the words, you won't mistake the meaning.
Roselli has an easy way with the audience.
In 1991 The Wall Street
Journal wrote a front page story about Jimmy and his
career headlined "Fans of the other Hoboken singer say
Sinatra is just Roselli's Salieri." Comparisons to
Frank Sinatra are inevitable due to their similar
backgrounds, Italian-Americans from Hoboken, NJ. Roselli
is the crooner who was loved and loathed by the mob. They
loved his songs, but were furious that they couldn't
control him. They threatened his life when he 
wouldn't
kick back money from his club dates and record sales, and
they took the records out of jukeboxes. Despite that, and
a life long feud with Sinatra, Roselli's considered by
some to be the most important Italian-American singer of
his generation.
Currently a new book has just been
released entitled Making
The Wiseguys Weep: The Jimmy Roselli
Story
and a movie is being
produced about his life. The actor to play Jimmy? John
Travolta! The shooting of 'Standing Room Only' starts
April 26th and will feature John Travolta in his first
singing role since 'Grease'. Look for a Christmas 99
release. Stay Tuned.
Jimmy
Roselli Bio