Editing Perry Como (section)

===Freddy Carlone and Ted Weems===
In 1932, Como left Canonsburg, moving about 100 miles away to [[Meadville, Pennsylvania]], where his uncle had a barber shop in the [[Conneaut Lake Park|Hotel Conneaut]]. About 80 miles from Cleveland, it was a popular stop on the itinerary for dance bands who worked up and down the Ohio Valley. Como, his girlfriend Roselle, and their friends had gone to nearby Cleveland; their good times took them to the Silver Slipper Ballroom, where Freddy Carlone and his orchestra were playing. Carlone invited anyone who thought he might have talent to come up and sing with his band. Como was terrified, but his friends urged him and pushed him onto the stage. Carlone was so impressed with Como's performance that he immediately offered him a job.<ref name = "Perry"/>

Como was not certain if he should accept Carlone's offer, so he returned to Canonsburg to talk the matter over with his father. Como expected his father would tell him to stay in the barber business, but to his surprise, his father said if he did not take the opportunity, he might never know whether or not he could be a professional singer.<ref name = "Perry"/> The decision was also made with an eye on finances; at this time, Como was earning around $125 per week from his barber shop, while the job with Carlone paid $28 per week.<ref name="Turns Down">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8h0fAAAAIBAJ&pg=7237,2740891&dq=perry+como&hl=en|title=Perry Como Turns Down $250,000 A Year To Relax |date=January 25, 1955 |page=9 |last=Boyle |first=Hal |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Roselle was willing to travel with her fiancé and the band, but the salary was not enough to support two people on the road.{{sfn|Macfarlane|2009|p=14}} Perry and Roselle were married in Meadville on July 31, 1933; four days later, Como joined Carlone's band and began working with them.<ref name="Relaxation">{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Stephanie |title=Chairman of the Leisure Board's Fine: Pop music: After 59 years in the business, Perry Como isn't about to retire. 'Mr. Relaxation' is still touring—and charming a new generation of fans. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-22-ca-2593-story.html |access-date=September 7, 2018 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 22, 1992}}</ref><ref name="Met">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W08fAAAAIBAJ&pg=3838,3975147&dq=perry+como&hl=en |title=The Day I Met Perry Como |date=October 29, 1972 |last=Leary |first=Norma |newspaper=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal|Daytona Beach Morning Journal]] |access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Roselle returned home to Canonsburg; Como would be on the road for the next 18 months.<ref name="Shave">{{cite news |title=Close Shave For Crooner |last=Foster |first=Ernest |date=July 9, 1944 |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Journal]]}}</ref>
[[File:Perry como 1939 weems.JPG|left|thumb|Como in 1939, when he was with the Ted Weems Orchestra]]
Three years after joining Carlone, Como moved to [[Ted Weems]]'s Orchestra and his first recording dates.<ref name="Anniversary2"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTXL1sFhpDs | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017180556/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTXL1sFhpDs| archive-date=October 17, 2013 | url-status=dead|title=Ted Weems Orchestra with Perry Como "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" |year=1939 |publisher=YouTube}}</ref> Como and Weems met in 1936 while the Carlone orchestra was playing in [[Warren, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WbtJAAAAIBAJ&pg=4944,3905341&dq=elmo+tanner&hl=en |title=Perry Como, With Weems Show, Gives Palace Fans 5 Encores |date=December 11, 1940 |last=Mulcahy |first=Charles J. |newspaper=[[The Vindicator (Ohio newspaper)|Youngstown Vindicator]] |access-date=January 24, 2011}}</ref> Como initially did not take the offer to join Weems's orchestra. Apparently realizing it was the best move for Como, Carlone selflessly urged him to sign with Weems.<ref name="Started">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FzEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=7136,6423077&dq=como+shaves&hl=en |title=Perry Como Started Out To Be Barber |page=A5 |date=October 28, 1951 |newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |access-date=February 28, 2020}}</ref> [[Art Jarrett]] had just left the Weems organization to start his own band. Weems was in need of a vocalist; Como got a raise. Weems paid him $50 per week, his first chance for nationwide exposure. Weems and his orchestra were based in Chicago and were regulars on ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'' and ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]''.<ref name=kennedy/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redhotjazz.com/weems.html |title=Ted Weems and his Orchestra |publisher=RedHot Jazz.com |access-date=May 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125003448/http://www.redhotjazz.com/weems.html |archive-date=January 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Fibber">{{cite web |url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jordans/audio/fmm193710113.ram |title=Audio file-Perry Como with Ted Weems Orchestra singing "Cabin of Dreams" on the NBC ''Fibber McGee & Molly'' show |date=October 11, 1937}}([[RealPlayer]])</ref> The Weems band also had its own weekly radio program on the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]] during 1936–1937.<ref name="Radio">{{cite book |editor-first=John |editor-last=Dunning |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi5wPDBiGfMC&dq=%22Ted+Weems%22+%22Perry+Como%22&pg=PA72 |section=Band Remotes |access-date= April 7, 2010 |date=May 7, 1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press, U.S.| isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |page=72}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XZtXAAAAIBAJ&pg=700,1934398&dq=elmo+tanner&hl=en |title=Mr. Weems' Mr. Gibbs Comes Home, Tells All |last=Cochran |first=Marie |date=March 26, 1937 |newspaper=[[The Toledo News-Bee]] |access-date=January 24, 2011}}</ref>

From the show, Como acquired polish and his own style with Weems's help. Mutual's Chicago affiliate, [[WGN (AM)|WGN]] radio, threatened to stop carrying the Weems broadcasts from Chicago's [[Palmer House Hilton|Palmer House]] if his new singer did not improve. Weems had recordings of some of his previous radio programs; one evening he and Como listened to them, and Como was shocked to realize no one could understand the lyrics when he sang. Weems told Como there was no need for him to resort to vocal tricks; what was necessary was to sing from the heart.<ref>Simon, Inside the Big Bands-Ted Weems</ref><ref name="Bloom2005">{{cite book |editor1-last=Bloom |editor1-first=Ken |editor2-last=Feinstein |editor2-first=Michael |title=The American Songbook: The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=02UzLwNB_jMC&pg=PA29 |access-date=March 30, 2011 |date=January 2005 |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal| isbn=978-1-57912-448-9 |page=29}}</ref>

Como's first recording with the Weems band was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the [[Decca Records]] label in May 1936. During one of Como's early Decca recording sessions with the Weems orchestra, Weems was told to get rid of "that kid" (Como) because he sounded too much like Bing Crosby, who also recorded for Decca. Before Como could reply, Weems spoke up, saying Como was part of the session or it was over.<ref name="Fifty"/> By the time Como had been with Weems about a year, he was mentioned in a 1937 ''Life'' magazine NBC Radio ad for ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' as "causing cardiac flutters with his crooning".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gUsEAAAAMBAJ&q=perry+como+ted+weems&pg=PA7 |title=Monday Night Comes To Life |date=April 12, 1937 |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |access-date=February 28, 2020}}</ref> The weekly radio show, ''[[Beat the Band]]'', which ran on NBC from 1940 to 1944, was a "stump the band"-type musical quiz show on which Weems and his orchestra were featured from 1940 to 1941.<ref>Dunning, op. cit., [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi5wPDBiGfMC&dq=%22Beat+The+Band+musical%22&pg=PA75 "Beat the Band" p. 75]</ref>