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During the era of big bands and smooth, classic entertainers, Don Cornell was a leading star performing at major night clubs and casinos, scoring a string of hits and selling over 50 million records. Born Luigi Francisco Valaro in The Bronx, New York in 1919, he took to music after being given a guitar by his uncle and got his first job as a singing waiter at the Embassy Club. A stint as a professional boxer saw him rack up 20 wins, but he quit the sport when he was asked to throw a fight and ended up playing guitar in Red Nichols' band instead. His name was changed when he later joined Sammy Kaye's swing orchestra. As their lead singer he helped the band land their first big hit with I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen in 1942. He served in the Air Force during WWII, but returned to have more success with Kaye's group and was one of the early artists to build his reputation by appearing regularly on television. Turning solo in 1950, his jumping, dancey showtunes and crooning, romantic ballads helped score two top five hits in the U.S. with I'll Walk Alone and I'm Yours, but his biggest success came when single Hold My Hand went to number two in the U.S., number one in the British Charts and sold over a million copies worldwide. More hits included Careless Hands, I and The Bible Tells Me So. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1963 and inducted into the Big Band Hall Of Fame in 1993, before his death in 2004 aged 84.
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