- Known for singing love songs.
- A close and longtime friend of Frank Sinatra, Vale served as an honorary pallbearer at Sinatra's 1998 funeral.
- At the age of 15 he started singing professionally at supper clubs.
- Received a star at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on December 5th, 1998.
- His version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", recorded in late 1963, was a fixture at many sporting events for years, and the gold record Vale received was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Vale frequently sang the song at Yankee Stadium. Additionally, he owned the Daytona Beach Admirals.
- His renditions of "Volare", "Innamorata (Sweetheart)", and "Al di là" became classic Italian-American songs.
- Vale was born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano in the Bronx, New York, to Italian immigrant parents, and grew up in the Wakefield section of the Bronx which at the time was composed mainly of Italian-American families.
- Vale, who was of Italian descent, sang numerous songs in Italian, many of which were used in soundtracks by films of Martin Scorsese.
- Still a teenager, he left school to work in a factory as an oiler alongside his father.
- In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Vale.
- During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover of Eddy Arnold hit "You Don't Know Me" (1956) and "Have You Looked into Your Heart" (1964).
- He sang the Late Night with David Letterman anthem "It's A Late Night World" on the program's eighth anniversary special in 1990.
- He made cameo appearances as himself in the 1990 film Goodfellas and the 1995 film Casino, both directed by Martin Scorsese.
- Vale is portrayed by Steven Van Zandt in the 2019 film The Irishman.
- Vale reportedly suffered a stroke in 2002 and did not perform in his later years.
- His biography A Singer's Life, by Richard Grudens, was published in 2000 by Celebrity Profiles.
- Vale's early nightclub performances led to additional shows in the early 1950s, including one lasting for three years at the Enchanted Room, a club in Yonkers, New York.
- Vale showed his love of Italian music with his albums, I Have But One Heart (1962) and Arrivederci, Roma (1963).
- When Paul Insetta (road manager for singer Guy Mitchell and hit songwriter) heard him there, he signed him to a management contract and further coached him. Insetta arranged for Vale to record some demonstration records of songs he'd written, and he brought them to Columbia Records. Guy Mitchell introduced Vale to Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at Columbia Records. Vale signed a recording contract, with Insetta as his manager for many years to come.
- Vale's first recording with the Columbia label, with accompaniment by Percy Faith and his band, was "You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart", reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Vale's first U.S. hit.
- In high school, to earn money, Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop, singing while he worked. His boss, Vito Veneziano, liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy.
- In 1959, Vale married Rita Grapel, a burlesque dancer.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content