Caterina Valente

Artist: Caterina Valente

LP: Á La Carte: Caterina Valente Sings In French

Song: "Ou Es-Tu Ma Joie"

[ listen ]

Song: "Les Filles de Paris"

[ listen ]

I had to do lots of work to get a good copy of this neat late-'50s French-language Caterina Valente record. First I found a used copy for $5 at Easy Street Records here in Seattle, but the edge of the disc was slightly warped so the first two tracks on both sides were no good. The cover was in great shape though, so I ordered another used copy online from some woman in Virginia. The bad news is that when that copy arrived, it had the wrong record inside. The other bad news is that when I wrote to the Virginian to find out what I should do about it, she ignored me. The good news is that the wrong record I received featured Caterina Valente singing in Spanish with her brother, Silvio Francesco! The other good news is that I was able to order a used copy of that one from somebody in Canada—and when it arrived, the cover and the record actually matched! It's pretty great, as you can see for yourself:

Artist: Caterina Valente and Silvio Francesco

LP: Olé Caterina

Song: "Quiereme Mucho"

[ listen ]

I then ordered yet another used copy of "Á La Carte" online—and the third time was the charm. The cover wasn't in great shape, but the record was. I matched up the good record with the good cover I'd initially found at Easy Street and...voilà! Born in Paris, France in January of 1931, Caterina Valente's parents were Italian artists. Her father was a popular accordion player (named Giuseppe!) and her mother, Maria, was a musical clown. Caterina married a juggler in 1952, but they divorced the following year. Undaunted, Caterina stuffed two suitcases full of raw talent, walked out the door and hasn't looked back since. She's released a slew of records over the years and has performed in more than 11 different languages! (12 to be precise.) You can read more about the amazing life and career of Caterina Valente here, visit her official website here, become her friend on MySpace here and find a neat YouTube video and the "Á La Carte" LP liner notes below.

Caterina Valente on YouTube:

[ "Moto Perpetuo" ]

[ Caterina Valente ]