Nicholas Perito (April 7, 1924 – August 4, 2005) was an American

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

composer and

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

and, for 40 years, the closest collaborator of singer

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

Life

Early years

Born in Denver, Perito's start in music was at an early age, when he received an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

as a gift from his parents. Both his uncle and brother encouraged his learning by gifts of sheet music; as he mastered one song, he would then be given a new one as an incentive. Perito started performing at parties at a young age and received a scholarship to the Lamont School of Music, studying at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

. Being drafted in 1943 took him to New York, where he served as an Army medic in World War II; he also played piano and did musical arrangements for the Army band. The band musicians were given passes on weekends if there were no military engagements for them and were allowed to pick up jobs during this time. Perito remained in New York after World War II, entering the

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...

and graduating from the college in 1949.

Career

Perito went home to Denver to marry his high school sweetheart, Judy Stone, and worked at Denver's KOA with his own weekday radio program in 1946. The couple then settled in New York, where he worked as a songwriter, arranger, and accordion/piano

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

. Perito also had his own band that had a permanent spot at Jack Dempsey's Broadway Restaurant, owned by the boxer. His first association with Perry Como came through Como's arranger,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

, in the early 1950s. Como had recorded a novelty song, "Hoop-De-Doo", and Perito was hired to accompany him on accordion for television performances of the song. He became the musical director of

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

in 1961. In 1963, Como's musical conductor,

Mitchell Ayres Mitchell Ayres (December 24, 1909 – September 5, 1969) was an orchestra leader, music arranger, composer and performer. He is best known for his many years of work with Perry Como on radio, records, and television and as the musical condu ...

, wanted to hire some new arrangers for Como's television show; Ray Charles recommended Perito to Ayres. When Ayres left to take a job as the conductor of ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it aired on Tuesday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled ''The Satur ...

'', Perito became the singer's

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

and conductor. Como credited Perito with the idea of recording his final album, ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' (1987). Perito continued to work with the singer through his very last performance: Como's Irish Christmas special in 1994. When Mitchell Ayres was killed in a traffic accident in 1969, former Como show producer Nick Vanoff, who was now with ''The Hollywood Palace'', suggested Perito as Ayres' replacement. Perito's other credits include the ''

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...

'', where he again worked with Vanoff. He was also the musical director for the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

awards, as well as '' The Don Knotts Show'',

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

television specials. Perito wrote the music for the 1968 film, ''

Don't Just Stand There! ''Don't Just Stand There!'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Ron Winston and written by Charles Williams. It is based on the 1966 novel ''The Wrong Venus'' by Charles Williams. The film stars Robert Wagner, Mary Tyler Moore, Glynis Joh ...

'' with

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

and

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

. In the same year, Perito played the accordion on the only solo vocal album of his friend and associate, Ray Charles, ''Memories of a Middle-Aged Movie Fan''. Perito was also an influential arranger of background music for

Muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments owned by Mood Media. The name ''Muzak'', a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been ...

in the late 1960s and early 70s. He became the musical director for

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

in 1993, and worked with Hope's wife, Dolores, when she decided to pick up her singing career after 60 years. Perito played accordion for actor

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

musical special in 1996. Perito, along with musicians

Dick Grove Richard Dean Grove (December 18, 1927 – December 26, 1998) was an American musician, composer, arranger, and educator. He is best known as the founder of the Dick Grove School of Music. Its students include Jerry Finn, Michael Jackson, Linda R ...

and

Allyn Ferguson Allyn Malcolm Ferguson Jr. (October 18, 1924 – June 23, 2010) was an American composer, whose works include the themes for 1970s television programs ''Barney Miller'' and ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976-1981), which he co-wrote with Jack Elliott ( ...

, was a founder and partner in the Grove School of Music in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

. The school was accredited in 1979 but could no longer afford to keep its doors open by 1991.

Honors

His work earned Perito a dozen

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nominations. a year before his death of

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory ...

in Hollywood.

Works

;As composer: *'' Stay with Me'', 1950s *'' We Are Love'', 1950s *'' The Green Leaves of Summer'' (with others) *'' Anema E Core'' (with others) *'' Misirlou/ Quien Sera'' (with others) *'' Oh Calcutta'' *'' Mountains of Kisses'' *'' Pianola Pete'' ;As conductor, arranger, director or producer: *Many.See

References

External links

Perry Como Collection 1955–1994-University of Colorado at Boulder Archives
created by Perry Como, Mickey Glass, and Nick Perito
Nick Perito Luncheon
January 2005, American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers

September 22, 2005, John Sawoski
Nick Perito Conducting Videos
Percy Faith arrangements for JVC. Capitol Records, Los Angeles, 1994 {{DEFAULTSORT:Perito, Nick American male composers 2005 deaths 1924 births Juilliard School alumni Musicians from Denver American music arrangers Songwriters from Colorado University of Denver alumni Writers from California Writers from Denver American male conductors (music) Orchestra leaders Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters