Al Alberts (born Al Albertini, August 10, 1922 – November 27, 2009) was an American popular singer and composer.

Early life and education

Albertini was born August 10, 1922, in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

. He attended

South Philadelphia High School South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary high school located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of ...

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

. As a teenager, he appeared on the '' Horn and Hardart Children's Hour,'' a radio program. After graduating from South Philadelphia High School, he went to

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

and then

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, where he met Dave Mahoney. They went on to found

The Four Aces The Four Aces are an American male traditional pop quartet popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling songs include " Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", " Three Coins in the Foun ...

Career

Music career

The Four Aces recorded the song " Three Coins in the Fountain", written by

Jule Styne Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...

for the film of the same name. The song hit the No. 1 bestselling record twice in 1954, and won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

the same year. Alberts also popularized the song " On the Way to Cape May", first through recording it, and then by performing it often on his later television show and specials. The Four Aces biggest hit was " Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", which was the theme to the 1955 film starring

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

and

Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental-health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned more than five decades, she was nomin ...

. The song was a number one hit for four weeks, and it also won the Academy Award for best song. In 1960, he recorded " On the Way to Cape May", a song about a man and woman falling in love on their way to

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

. The song, written by Maurice "Buddy" Nugent, is a summertime anthem for the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

, and

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

areas. The song became popular without the push of a major record label. It has become popular in a variety of 21st-century media, such as XM satellite and internet radio, and also enjoys regular airplay on many Delaware Valley AM and FM stations.

Television career

Alberts then became a television personality in

, where he hosted a one-hour Saturday afternoon talent show, ''Al Alberts Showcase,'' which first aired on

WKBS-TV WKBS-TV (channel 47) is a religious television station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States, owned and operated by Cornerstone Television. The station's transmitter is located in Logan Township. WKBS-TV operates as a full-time satellite o ...

, and then on

WPVI-TV WPVI-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in t ...

that featured a panel of local children known as the "Teeny Boppers". Also there was a group of young teenage dancers called the "Show Stoppers". Local talents of all ages would sing songs and perform dance routines. A young Andrew Pica made his debut on the show. Andrew would later go on to be a frequent guest and showstopper. The show helped launch the careers of

Andrea McArdle Andrea McArdle (born November 5, 1963) is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical '' Annie''. Career McArdle appeared on '' Al Alberts Showcase'', a local televised talent show in Phila ...

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge was an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consists of sisters Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

The Kinleys The Kinleys were an American country music duo composed of identical twin sisters Heather and Jennifer Kinley (born November 5, 1970). Between 1997 and 2000, they recorded two albums for Epic Records (1997's ''Just Between You and Me (The Kinleys ...

, and

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...

. After 32 years of broadcasting, the show went off the air with Alberts' retirement in 2001.

Death and legacy

Alberts died at his home in

Arcadia, Florida Arcadia is a city and county seat of DeSoto County, Florida, United States. Arcadia's Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its population was 7,420 as of the 2020 census, down from 7,637 at the 2010 census. It ...

, of complications from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the sea.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia posthumously inducted Alberts into their Hall of Fame in 2010.

References

External links

* Philly.Com
Al Alberts, TV talent host in Philly, dies at 87

Former 6abc host Al Alberts has died
November 27, 2009, last updated 12:11 pm EST

– Philadelphia-based
AlAlberts.com
– artist's website
Anthony J. Biondo Jr.
– Al Alberts Showcase Teenie Bopper – 1980s
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia website

Al Alberts recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alberts, Al 1922 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American singers American people of Italian descent American soul musicians American television personalities Deaths from kidney failure in Florida Musicians from Philadelphia People from Chester, Pennsylvania Musicians from Delaware County, Pennsylvania South Philadelphia High School alumni Television in Philadelphia Temple University alumni Traditional pop music singers United States Navy personnel of World War II Vee-Jay Records artists