In fact, Powell sang two songs with Fio Rito's band on record, Fair and Warmer and I'll String Along with You, in March 1934.
Longtime members of Fio Rito's band included Muzzy Marcellino on guitar and vocals and Johnny "Candy" Candido on bass, tuba, and vocals.
Three other singers who worked during various times with Fio Rito's band, Betty Grable, June Haver, and Mamie Van Doren, later became movie stars.
vital stats:
given name Theodore Salvatore Fiorito
birth Dec. 20, 1900, Newark, NJ
death Jul. 22, 1971, Scottsdale, AZ, "heart attack"
heritage Italian
father Louis (Luigi) Fiorito, a tailor, b.ca.1879
mother Eugenia Cantalupo Fiorito, b.ca.1879
education Barringer High School, Newark, NJ
wife
second wife
children two sons
memberships ASCAP, 1921- ; Local 2, American Federation of Musicians, St. Louis, MO,
elected Nov. 13, 1923
residence 293 15th Ave., Newark, NJ (birth); 185 Bruce St., Newark, NJ (1914); 10101
Lindley, Northridge, CA (1939); 350 S. Lavergne Ave., Chicago, IL (1956); Scottsdale,
AZ (1960s)
Fio Rito took over the house band at the Chez Paree in Chicago in 1956.
In semi-retirement since 1959, he moved to Arizona where he had a band at a club which he owned in Scottsdale.
In 1970, he led a four-piece combo in Sacramento, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and other spots.
Since the mid-1920s, Fio Rito had also been known as a composer of popular tunes including Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (with Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, and Dan Russo); Charley, My Boy; and I Never Knew (with Kahn).
Many of Fio Rito's other compositions, including King for a Day, Yours Truly Is Truly
Yours, Lily of Laguna, and Roll Along, Prairie Moon, were recorded by his band.
At the time of his death, he was working on songs with lyricist Johnny Mercer.
sources:
Nat Bodian, "Old Newark Memories: Ted Fiorito: The Newark Son of Italian Immigrants who
Became One of Greats of American Music," oldnewark.com.
"Fiorito, Ted," in ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, Fourth Edition (New York City: R.R.
Bowker Company, 1980), p.158.
Charles Garrod, Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra (Zephyrhills, FL: Joyce Record Club,
1988).
Hedda Hopper, "The Life Story of June Haver and Why She Entered a Convent," Chicago
Daily Tribune, Feb. 14, 1953, p.12.
Roger D. Kinkle, "Fio Rito, Ted," in The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz
1900-1950: Volume 2 Biographies A Through K (New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House
Publishers, 1974), pp.907-908.
William Leonard, "Betty Grable Chicago's New 'Dolly' Tomorrow," Chicago Tribune,
Oct. 9, 1966, p.F9.
"Now Its Mamie Van Doren, Inc.: The Mame's the Same, But the Loot is Different . . . A
Quarter of a Million a Year," Chicago Tribune, Nov. 15, 1959, p.K16.
"Ted Fio Rito, Noted Musician, Composer, Dies," Chicago Tribune, Jul. 24, 1971, p.B11.
Traveling / Transfer Dues Payment Card, Local 10, American Federation of Musicians,
Chicago, IL.
I would like to expand this tribute with, if possible, a new interview of someone who was important to Ted Fio Rito's life or career. Are you an alumnus of his band, a member of his family, or a collector who is knowledgeable about his accomplishments? Please contact me via e-mail
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TED FIO RITO
"KING FOR A DAY"
by Music Librarian CHRISTOPHER POPA
April 2009
As a pianist and leader of his own sweet, danceable orchestra, which he formed in the early 1920s, he played long engagements at many of the nation's big ballrooms and hotels, such as the Edgewater Beach in Chicago, the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, and the Claridge in Memphis, TN.
Fio Rito and his band made many recordings, primarily for Brunswick (1932-35) and Decca (1936-39 and 1942).
He and his band also appeared in a half-dozen feature films, such as "20 Million Sweethearts" (1934) and "Broadway Gondolier" (1935), both of which starred actor Dick Powell.
