While Jerry Vale was attending high school in his native New York, he decided to pick up some extra change shining shoes after school. Luckily, he allied himself to a nearby barbershop, where he sang at his work. The delight Jerry took in his singing was echoed by his customers, and most of all by his boss, himself a frustrated singer. Discerning the rich quality of Jerry’s voice even then, the boss decided to underwrite music lessons for him. Jerry was overjoyed with the lessons, and studied with  fervor.  Soon he was  singing the  leads in  high  school  musicals, then he landed an engagement in a local club.

   Before long, Jerry was singing regularly in various small clubs around the city. He was particularly successful in Yonkers, where a three-week engagement stretched out into a year-and-a-half!.
   While singing at the club one night, Jerry was heard by a perceptive manager, who signed him at once. Jerry began making demonstration records of songs.
   In the course of time, some of these records arrived at Columbia, where the singer was liked even better than the songs, and Jerry was launched on his splendid record career.