making-the-wiseguys-weep--the-jimmy-roselli-story

making-the-wiseguys-weep--the-jimmy-roselli-story by David Evanier. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780413740700.

The fascinating life of an Italian American icon. The mob couldnt live with Jimmy Roselli and it couldnt live without him. Roselli is Hobokens other great singer, and to a greater degree than Frank Sinatra, Roselli maintained his ties to his old neighborhood and its people--indeed, he made a career of those ties. Hes their link to their cultural heritage and Italy, and continues to sing a good half of his repertoire in Italian. But this didnt stop his wiseguy following from getting angry at him from time to time. "When I started singing big," Roselli told biographer David Evanier, "the tough guys were in the front row with the big cigars. They loved me so much they wanted to kill me. But their mothers and sisters and their wives wouldnt allow it." Roselli sang his best-loved song, "Little Pal," at John Gotti, Jr.s wedding reception. Mobster Larry Gallo was buried with a Roselli record in his hands. "Hell of a guy," Roselli says of Gallo. "Nice, warm individual." Hobokens unsung singer feuded with Sinatra, stood up to shakedown artists, befriended godfathers, and now has thirty-six recordings in print. A captivating story of a brilliant entertainer, Making the Wiseguys Weep is also a colorful portrait of Italian American culture from the 240 saloons that lined Hobokens streets to the bright lights of New York City.