Lou Monte
Lou Monte (b: April 2, 1917, New Jersey; d. June 12, 1989) was an American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Records and Reprise Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Monte's first big hit came in 1954 with the release of his version of "Darktown Strutters' Ball." In 1962, Monte would release his first million-seller, "Pepino the Italian Mouse." Sung in a pastiche of both Italian and English, "Pepino" tells the humorous tale of a mischievous mouse who lives within the walls of a man's kitchen and who comes out at night to eat cheese, drink wine, frighten the lady of the house and to even frighten the cat. The "flip side" of the single featured another Italian-American hybrid novelty song called "What Did Washington Say (When He Crossed The Delaware?)." The song presumes that George Washington was cold, tired, hungry and without a change of underwear on his famous trip. At one point in the song, "Washington" complains that the pizzas his wife Martha baked were as "cold as ice." His solution? "Sell them to the Indians for only half the price." He then asks his boatsmen to row faster because "tonight I'm posing for my picture on the dollar bill." Monte's other famous novelty records include "Dominick the Italian Donkey," a holiday staple in many Italian-American households and "Pasquale the Italian Pussycat," the sequel to "Pepino."
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