View source for Joe Valino

{{Short description|American singer (1929–1996)}}
'''Joseph Paolino Jr.''' (March 9, 1929 – December 26, 1996),<ref name=philly/> better known as '''Joe Valino''', was an American singer who had a chart hit in 1957 with "[[The Garden of Eden (song)|The Garden of Eden]]".<ref name="Larkin50">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|page=461}}</ref>
Born in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States,<ref name="Larkin50"/> the son of Mary and Joseph Paolino, he learned piano and guitar and began performing in local clubs as a child.  While still in his teens, he accompanied [[Sarah Vaughan]] in piano, and by the age of 18 had performed as a singer and pianist with the [[big band]]s of [[Woody Herman]] and [[Tommy Dorsey]].<ref name="Larkin50"/>  After a spell as a professional boxer, he returned to the music business in the early 1950s, and local composer Dolores "Vicki" Silvers wrote the song "[[Learnin' the Blues]]" for him to record.<ref name="Larkin50"/>  He released the song in 1954 on the local Gold Star label (not [[Gold Star Records|the Texas label]] of the same name), and it became locally successful.  Valino's version was then heard by [[Frank Sinatra]], who recorded it himself and had a No. 1 hit with the song.<ref name=philly>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074351/http://articles.philly.com/1996-12-28/news/25643042_1_popular-singer-popular-song-philadelphia-area  Andy Wallace, "Joe Valino, A Popular Singer In '50s"], ''[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', December 28, 1996. Retrieved 19 October 2015</ref>
Valino's version drew him to the attention of [[RCA Records]], and he recorded the song "The Garden of Eden", written by Dennise Norwood, for its subsidiary [[Vik Records]] label in 1956.<ref name="Larkin50"/>  Recorded with the [[George Siravo]] Orchestra, the song reached No. 12 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop chart the following year, and also reached No. 23 in the [[UK Singles Chart]], where a [[cover version]] by [[Frankie Vaughan]] reached the No. 1 spot.<ref name="betts">{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=817}}</ref>   While "The Garden of Eden" was on the charts, a former girlfriend of Valino claimed that he had arranged for her to have an illegal [[abortion]].  He denied the charge, but was convicted, and received a 17-year [[probation]].  As a result, his music was removed from sale and banned from radio play.<ref>''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'', January 16, 1998, page F-17</ref>
He continued to perform in clubs, and moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in the 1960s to pursue an acting career.   He appeared in the movies ''[[Girl in Gold Boots]]'' (1969) and ''The Commitment'' (1976).<ref name="betts"/>  In 1977, he suffered a major [[heart attack]], followed by a series of [[stroke]]s that left him unable to sing.  He returned to Philadelphia, and died in 1996 at the age of 67.<ref name=philly/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Find a Grave|28949332|Joseph "Joe Valino" Paolino, Jr}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valino, Joe}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Singers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]