“And I Love You So” is a popular song written by folk singer and guitarist Don McLean and released on his 1970 debut album, Tapestry. The song has been recorded by many artists in the years since McLean’s original version, and it was a 1973 hit for singer Perry Como on his RCA Victor album of the same name, And I Love You So.
Perry Como
Perry Como’s version of the song reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the last of his many popular recordings, dating back to 1943, to reach the Top 40. It also spent one week at No. 1 on the easy listening chart in 1973. It reached No.2 in South Africa and in Britain, the record reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973 on RCA Records and remained on the chart for 35 weeks (longer than any other of his hits in the UK).
Perry Como – Mr. Casual
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Canonsburg has always been very proud to be the
Birthplace of Perry Como.
The borough honored him three times over the course of his life. The first of these events took place September 14, 1946, when Third Street, where Perry worked in the barber shop of Steve Fragapane, was renamed “Perry Como Avenue”.
A second ceremony marking Perry Como Day took place August 24, 1977, but the most ambitious project began in 1997 – a statue of the singer. As part of the festivities, Como’s stool and music stand from The Perry Como Show and the equipment he used at Steve Fragapane’s barber shop were donated to the borough. The inscription on the base, “To This Place God Has Brought Me”, was a favorite saying of Como’s; the musical feature was added in 2002.
Perry Como a True Gentleman
The Como celebration crossed the Atlantic in August 2002. Palena, Italy, the birthplace of Como’s parents, had a long-standing week-long festival in honor of the singer. A smaller version of the statue was taken to Palena by the mayor of Canonsburg, Anthony Colaizzo. Perry’s son, David, and his wife were also in attendance when the town of Palena renamed a street for Perry Como. There is a marble plaque on a Palena town wall stating that Pietro and Lucia Como, parents of Perry Como, emigrated from this village to the United States which dates from these ceremonies.
Perry Como never forgot Canonsburg. One of the things he did to give a helping hand to his home town was to convince RCA to open a record-pressing plant there. Those who needed to raise funds for local projects like Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs found him always ready to do whatever was needed.
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