Enzo Stuarti
Encyclopedia
Enzo Stuarti was an Italian American
tenor
and musical theater performer. After a performing on Broadway
under the stage names Larry Laurence and Larry Stuart, he changed his name again and began a recording career in which he released several successful albums. He made regular stage and television appearances, and was featured in commercials for Ragú
spaghetti sauce.
came to power, but he was left behind with an aunt who placed him in the Monte Cassino
Abbey, where he was raised by monks. He joined his family in Newark, New Jersey
in 1934, where he finished school and worked with his father, a baker by trade.
In 1940, he joined the United States Merchant Marine
and was assigned aboard the Liberty ship
SS Charles Pratt, a Panamanian based tanker. On December 21, 1940, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat
. He survived the attack and after his service in the Merchant Marine, he returned to Italy for voice training in order to pursue his ambition of singing professionally. He studied for a time at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
show was Hollywood Pinafore
followed by Nellie Bly
. Then in 1946, he was cast in the role of Passepartout in the Cole Porter
/Orson Welles
musical Around the World
. The production was not considered a success though, closing after a run of just seventy-five performances. Additional Broadway credits included As the Girls Go
, Two on an Isle, Me and Juliet
, and By the Beautiful Sea
. During this time he was performing under the stage names "Larry Laurence" (sometimes spelled "Lawrence") and "Larry Stuart".
, who thought he should have a more Italian-sounding name. He began reworking his voice and focusing on a career as a semi-classical vocalist. His first big break came when Jubilee Records
signed him in 1960. Stuarti's debut album, We're Not Strangers (JPL 1041) enjoyed moderate success, but it was a last-minute engagement at the Plaza Hotel
's Persian Room that began to get the singer noticed. The press response was favorable and this prompted Jubilee to try a two-faceted promotion push. First came his second album, Enzo Stuarti at the Plaza (JLP 5022) followed by presenting the singer in an arranged promotional concert at Carnegie Hall
, which was recorded and later released as a two-record set, Enzo Stuarti Arrives at Carnegie Hall (JGM2-5055). Well recorded and well produced, the album helped to establish Stuarti's standing as a vocalist and night club performer, and he considered the performance to be one of the high points of his career. Next came a tribute album to the late tenor Mario Lanza
, with whom Stuarti had understudied and to whom he was sometimes compared. This album was repeatedly re-released on several different labels under various titles.
He released over 30 recordings for several labels, including Jubilee, Epic
, Columbia
, Roulette
, Diplomat
and Spin-O-Rama. During the 1960s and into the early 1970s, he was a frequent guest on televisions shows such as The Tonight Show
and appeared in a series of commercials for Ragú
spaghetti sauce, where his catchphrase was "That's A'Nice!" He played major venues in Las Vegas
, New York City
, and Atlantic City. He also performed at events such as Italian-American festivals. In 1983, he performed at a Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church presided over by Sun Myung Moon
and his wife Hak Ja Han
.
Critical opinions of Stuarti's music were mixed. A Washington Post writer called his voice "rich in bravura and overpowering in its fullness". Time
described his voice as one of "cocktails-and-dancing dimensions," but said "he makes the most of it" with the help of electronic amplification. Other critics complained that he was overly loud, with one writer saying "he concentrated on volume to the exclusion of style".
race cars for test drivers. He needed the income and applied, driving professionally for a brief period. He developed a passion for cars, eventually owning more than 700 of them.
Stuarti married twice. In 1942 he married Esther Mesce, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1972. He married Thelma Donohoo in 1975. He retired in 2004, and died on December 16, 2005, in Midland, Texas
.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and musical theater performer. After a performing on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
under the stage names Larry Laurence and Larry Stuart, he changed his name again and began a recording career in which he released several successful albums. He made regular stage and television appearances, and was featured in commercials for Ragú
Ragú
Ragú is a brand name, for an Italian-style sauce. It is not directly related to the Italian sauce ragù, which is meat based. The Ragú brand was first sold in 1937 - and is currently one of many consumer brands in the portfolio of Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever. It is the best selling U.S. brand...
spaghetti sauce.
Early life
Stuarti was born Lorenzo Scapone in Rome, Italy. His parents fled Italy for the United States when Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
came to power, but he was left behind with an aunt who placed him in the Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
Abbey, where he was raised by monks. He joined his family in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
in 1934, where he finished school and worked with his father, a baker by trade.
In 1940, he joined the United States Merchant Marine
United States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
and was assigned aboard the Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS Charles Pratt, a Panamanian based tanker. On December 21, 1940, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. He survived the attack and after his service in the Merchant Marine, he returned to Italy for voice training in order to pursue his ambition of singing professionally. He studied for a time at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Broadway career
Stuarti's first BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show was Hollywood Pinafore
Hollywood Pinafore
Hollywood Pinafore, or The Lad Who Loved a Salary is a musical comedy in two acts by George S. Kaufman, with music by Arthur Sullivan, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. It opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on May 31, 1945, and closed on July 14, 1945 after 52 performances...
followed by Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly was the pen name of American pioneer female journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from...
. Then in 1946, he was cast in the role of Passepartout in the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
/Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
musical Around the World
Around the World (musical)
Around the World is a musical with a book adapted by Orson Welles, based on the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. It involves an around-the-world adventure by Phileas Fogg.Music, lyrics and incidental score are by Cole Porter...
. The production was not considered a success though, closing after a run of just seventy-five performances. Additional Broadway credits included As the Girls Go
As the Girls Go
As the Girls Go is a musical with music by Jimmy McHugh, lyrics by Harold Adamson and a book by William Roos.After an out-of-town tryout at the Opera House in Boston in October 1948, the original Broadway production of As the Girls Go opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on November 13, 1948,...
, Two on an Isle, Me and Juliet
Me and Juliet
Me and Juliet is a musical comedy by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and their sixth stage collaboration. The work tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage manager Larry woos chorus girl Jeanie behind the back of her electrician boyfriend, Bob...
, and By the Beautiful Sea
By the Beautiful Sea
By the Beautiful Sea is a musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Arthur Schwartz. Like Schwartz’ previous musical, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, also starring Shirley Booth, the musical is set in Brooklyn just after the turn of the century...
. During this time he was performing under the stage names "Larry Laurence" (sometimes spelled "Lawrence") and "Larry Stuart".
Recording career
Toward the end of 1954, he took the name "Enzo Stuarti" at the suggestion of Ed SullivanEd Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
, who thought he should have a more Italian-sounding name. He began reworking his voice and focusing on a career as a semi-classical vocalist. His first big break came when Jubilee Records
Jubilee Records
Jubilee Records was a record label specializing in rhythm and blues along with novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. Jerry Blaine became Abramson's partner. Blaine bought out Abramson's half of the company in 1947. The company name was Jay-Gee Recording...
signed him in 1960. Stuarti's debut album, We're Not Strangers (JPL 1041) enjoyed moderate success, but it was a last-minute engagement at the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
's Persian Room that began to get the singer noticed. The press response was favorable and this prompted Jubilee to try a two-faceted promotion push. First came his second album, Enzo Stuarti at the Plaza (JLP 5022) followed by presenting the singer in an arranged promotional concert at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, which was recorded and later released as a two-record set, Enzo Stuarti Arrives at Carnegie Hall (JGM2-5055). Well recorded and well produced, the album helped to establish Stuarti's standing as a vocalist and night club performer, and he considered the performance to be one of the high points of his career. Next came a tribute album to the late tenor Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
, with whom Stuarti had understudied and to whom he was sometimes compared. This album was repeatedly re-released on several different labels under various titles.
He released over 30 recordings for several labels, including Jubilee, Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Roulette
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
, Diplomat
Diplomat Records
Diplomat Records is an American record label founded by Harlem rappers Cam'ron and Jim Jones. Dipset currently released music under the independent label E1 music. In the early 2000's Dipset was very popular for having star rappers with radio hits like Juelz Santana and Cam'Ron and for their...
and Spin-O-Rama. During the 1960s and into the early 1970s, he was a frequent guest on televisions shows such as The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
and appeared in a series of commercials for Ragú
Ragú
Ragú is a brand name, for an Italian-style sauce. It is not directly related to the Italian sauce ragù, which is meat based. The Ragú brand was first sold in 1937 - and is currently one of many consumer brands in the portfolio of Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever. It is the best selling U.S. brand...
spaghetti sauce, where his catchphrase was "That's A'Nice!" He played major venues in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Atlantic City. He also performed at events such as Italian-American festivals. In 1983, he performed at a Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church presided over by Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
and his wife Hak Ja Han
Hak Ja Han
Hak Ja Han or Hakja Han Moon is an influential member of the Unification Church and the wife of the church's founder, Sun Myung Moon. They married in April 1960 and have 13 children and 20 grandchildren...
.
Critical opinions of Stuarti's music were mixed. A Washington Post writer called his voice "rich in bravura and overpowering in its fullness". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
described his voice as one of "cocktails-and-dancing dimensions," but said "he makes the most of it" with the help of electronic amplification. Other critics complained that he was overly loud, with one writer saying "he concentrated on volume to the exclusion of style".
Personal life
While studying in Rome, he responded to an advertisement by FerrariFerrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
race cars for test drivers. He needed the income and applied, driving professionally for a brief period. He developed a passion for cars, eventually owning more than 700 of them.
Stuarti married twice. In 1942 he married Esther Mesce, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1972. He married Thelma Donohoo in 1975. He retired in 2004, and died on December 16, 2005, in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
.