вЂњSo now I have a thousand records, and I got in my car and put them in every record store in the Pittsburgh area. вЂњSo I went and bought a thousand records out of a distributor in Pittsburgh, and the next thing I knew, they called me up and said, вЂHey, we think youвЂ™ve got a hit.вЂ™ вЂњInitially, it was a struggle, trying to get people to play it, and the record company gave up on it,вЂќ Vinton recalled.

1 on BillboardвЂ™s Hot 100 singles charts, it didnвЂ™t happen overnight. But, although вЂњRoses Are RedвЂќ ended up spending four weeks at No. While we were in the office, I listened to a few songs on this reject pile, and one of them was вЂњRoses Are Red.вЂќ I thought to myself, вЂGee, that sounds like one of the songs I hear on the radio,вЂ™ and I told them, thatвЂ™s the song I want to do.вЂќ вЂњSo I had them, and I figured that, since I had made enough records as a bandleader, I should cut something as a singer. вЂњBut then I looked at my contract and said, вЂHey, wait a minute, my contract calls for me to cut 14 sides, and we only did 12, so you owe me two more sides.вЂ™ вЂњThey thought I was going to be the next teen-age Glenn Miller, but nobody wanted Big Bands they were dying out, and my record company was dropping me,вЂќ Vinton recalled. In 1961, Vinton signed with Epic Records and cut two Big Band albums, but neither was a success. вЂњI was the conductor, musician and arranger.вЂќ to Chubby Checker, Fabian, Sam Cooke-you name it,вЂќ Vinton said. вЂњWe backed everybody from Sammy Davis Jr. After a stint in the Army, he moved to Pittsburgh and became a bandleader. He played clarinet and saxophone in his high school band. Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pa., also the hometown of Perry Como.

But, in light of what happened in England, well, maybe itвЂ™s time I got going again.вЂќ вЂњYou start to wonder, how can the world be wrong my music must not be whatвЂ™s happening anymore. вЂњI really want to make a new album and come out with new material, because what happens is you quit believing in yourself,вЂќ Vinton said. His next project, and the one heвЂ™s the most excited about, is an album of new songs. VintonвЂ™s first project for Curb was a greatest-hits package in which he rerecorded many of his old hits, followed by an album of Christmas songs.

Shortly before вЂњBlue VelvetвЂќ was rereleased in England, Vinton was signed to Curb Records after a chance encounter with label president Mike Curb on a plane. 1 record in England?вЂ™ And I said, вЂYeah, sure I do, who is this, what is this, some kind of a joke?вЂ™ But then I found out it wasnвЂ™t a joke, it was true, and I was very excited.вЂќ They called me in Malibu and said, вЂDo you know you have the No. вЂњYou try so hard-everybody lives for it and tries for it, and here I am, I didnвЂ™t even know I had it. вЂњAny recording artist will tell you, thereвЂ™s nothing like a hit record,вЂќ Vinton said. Having a hit again, after so many years, was an unexpected surprise thatвЂ™s done wonders for his self-confidence, Vinton said.

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