Pittsburgh’s barber turned legendary baritone

Perry Como, the seventh of 13 kids, was already tinkering with the family’s pump organ as a toddler. As a teen, he played trombone and guitar, but never had a voice lesson. His true dream: become the best barber in his hometown of Canonsburg, 20 miles south of Pittsburgh.

He sang while cutting hair, which led to an audition with the Freddie Carlone Band and his first touring gig. Como was voted “Crooner of the Year” in 1943 and bobby soxer teenage girls went wild for him. The man who invented casual went on to sell over 100 million records.

– Eve Lederman, The 100 Companies