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Born

  • July 9, 1925
  • Brooklyn, NY

Died

  • April 20, 2002
  • New York, NY

Real Name

  • Aldo Sigismondi

Marriages / Children

  • Hedy Bachtinger

Alan Dale

Alan Dale was one of the few big band vocalists to successfully make the transition to rock and roll in the 1950s. Dale began his career singing with Carmen Cavallaro before joining George Paxton in 1944, where he earned a reputation as one of the best crooners of his day. He left Paxton in 1947 to begin a solo career under the guidance of producer Bob Thiele. Dale quickly found himself in the spotlight, earning his own television program on the Dumont network in 1948. In 1950 he also became a featured performer on the CBS quiz show Sing It Again, and in 1951 he starred in the ABC comedy series Actor's Hotel. Overwork, coupled with family troubles, began to take their toll, however. In 1951 he collapsed during one of his live programs and was rushed to the hospital for treatment of an ulcer. Unfortunately, when he recovered he found that all three shows had been cancelled.

Dale continued recording, and his career quickly bounced back. In 1953 he starred in the television series Opera vs. Jazz. Rock and roll was just around the corner however, and when the genre broke big on the charts in 1955 Dale decided to update his sound. His recordings of the era typically featured a rock number on one side and a more traditional song on the other. In 1956 he was cast in the lead role of the film Don't Knock the Rock, also starring famed rock and roll disc jockey Alan Freed, with appearances by Bill Haley and Little Richard. Dale quickly found himself an icon of teenagers everywhere.

Dale's career took a sour turn in the late 1950s however. Pressured by the mafia, who controlled much of the music industry at the time through club ownership and the juke box business, he refused to give in to their influence. In 1960 the mob finally had enough of his defiance, and he was viciously attacked at the Latin Quarter nightclub and sent through a plate glass window. Though he managed to escape serious injury the damage had been done to his career. He suddenly found himself blackballed by other club owners, and even Ed Sullivan.

Dale recorded a few sides during the early 1960s and one record in the 1970s, but he was unable to overcome the mafia's vendetta. He grew bitter about the incident, venting his frustration and naming names in his 1965 autobiography The Spider and the Marionettes. Alan Dale passed away in 2002 from cardiac arrest.