Peter Lemongello

Peter Lemongello (born February 11, 1947) is an American singer from Jersey City, New Jersey and North Babylon, New York, best known for his double album Love '76, the first album to be sold exclusively through television advertising.

Early career

Lemongello spent the first part of his career as a cabaret singer, with several appearances on national TV, including 25 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.^[1]

Love '76

Lemongello hit upon the idea of creating an album to be sold exclusively on TV. Using a city-by-city marketing strategy, he and his partners began their Love ‘76 advertising campaign with an around-the-dial TV blitz in the New York market starting January 1, 1976, and ran commercials on all six New York channels 70 to 100 times a week. Sales of the double album skyrocketed him to fame, and the campaign entered Los Angeles and Las Vegas^[2] and the album began to sell in the millions, attracting widespread media attention.

Lemongello became the first person to sell over a million records through a television direct marketing campaign,^[3] and was also the first entertainer to underwrite a television direct advertising campaign selling shares in the project to private investors.^[4]

The artist attracted the attention of Private Stock Records, who signed Lemongello in April 1976. By choice, Lemongello ended his self promotional efforts and released his second album, Do I Love You, in early 1977. Shortly after its release, Private Stock Records went out of business. Lemongello concentrated on live performances, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Later career

Lemongello has continued his career in Branson, Missouri, billed as Branson's "Italian Crooner". Most recently he has adopted The Great American Songbook and appears frequently across the country.

Today Lemongello currently lives in Boca Raton, FL with his wife Karen, and his son Peter Jr. Peter Lemongello Jr. always sings on stage during his father's shows and has sung Can't Help Falling in Love (duet with his father), The Wanderer (solo by Peter Jr.), and currently sings Sweet Caroline (duet with his father), and Jailhouse Rock (solo by Peter Jr.).

In late 2012, Lemongello re-recorded his 1976 song "Can't Get Enough Of You Girl" with producer and songwriter Jimmy Michaels. The re-recording appears on the re-issue of the Michaels album More Things Change.

Parodies

Lemongello was spoofed in the episode of Saturday Night Live that aired May 22, 1976, with Chevy Chase playing a singer named Peter Lemon Mood Ring, who changed colors with every song. Chase reprised the parody in his 1989 film Fletch Lives.

Singer-songwriter Will Dailey released a promotional video in 2009 for his album Torrent, in which he is forced by his managers to make a (fictitious) commercial for Torrent in the style of the Love '76 commercial.^[5]

Album Discography

"Love '76" (1976) Rapp Records
"Do I Love You" (1976) Private Stock Records

References

External links

• The Official Peter Lemongello Website
• "The $390,000 Man"; Time Magazine; May 31, 1976 Retrieved May 9, 2007
• Official Peter Lemongello MySpace Music Page