Nick Acquaviva ''(né'' Nicholas Paul Acquaviva; 27 May 1927 – 2 November 2003),
was an American composer, pianist and band leader.
Career
Acquaviva was born in
Beacon, New York, where his father Mike Acquaviva ran a barber shop on Main Street for many years.
Like his elder brother
Tony Acquaviva
Anthony "Tony" Acquaviva (May 10, 1925 – September 27, 1986 , he attended
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
and became a professional musician.
During World War II Nick Acquaviva served as
Seaman first class
Seaman is a military rank used in many navies around the world. It is considered a junior enlisted rank and, depending on the navy, it may be a single rank on its own or a name shared by several similarly junior ranks.
In the Commonwealth, it ...
in the US Navy.
He is buried at
Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administratio ...
.
The two brothers are often confused, sometimes even conflating them. Adding to the confusion, is the fact that Tony was married to singer
Joni James
Giovanna Carmella Babbo (September 22, 1930 – February 20, 2022), known professionally as Joni James, was an American singer of traditional pop music.
Biography
Giovanna Carmella Babbo was born to an Italian-American family in Chicago, Illino ...
, for whom Nick wrote several songs, including the hit "
My Love, My Love".
Selected works
Among the songs he wrote are:
* "That's What Christmas Means to Me" (1950). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by
Eddie Fisher.
* "I Will Love You Forever, My Love" (1952). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles.
In the fa ...
.
* "
My Love, My Love" (1953). Lyrics by
Bob Haymes
Robert William Haymes (March 29, 1923 – January 27, 1989), also known by the stage names Robert Stanton and Bob Stanton, was an American singer, songwriter, actor and radio and television host. He is best remembered for co-writing the song " Th ...
; performed by Joni James.
* "Why Can't I" (1953). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by Joni James.
* "Unless You're Really Mine" (1953) Ted Varnick (w&m), Nick Acquaviva (w&m)
* "Am I In Love?" (1954). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by Joni James.
* "Is This The End Of The Line?" (1954). Lyrics by
Bobby Worth
Bobby Worth (September 25, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio – July 17, 2002 in Mission Hills, California) was an American songwriter. His best known songs are "Do I Worry?", "'Til Reveille", "Tonight We Love", and "Don't You Know?".
Worth was consi ...
; performed by Joni James.
* "When We Come Of Age" (1954). Lyrics by
Norman Gimbel
Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both wit ...
; performed by Joni James.
* "Prayer For Peace" (1955). Lyrics by Norman Gimbel; performed by Jony James and
Perry Como.
* "Ghost Town" (1956). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by
Don Cherry
Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...
.
* "Help Me" (1956). Lyrics by
Don George; performed by
Vic Damone
Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and ...
.
* "Somewhere Someone Is Lonely" (1956). Lyrics by Don George; performed by Joni James
* "
In The Middle Of An Island "In the Middle of an Island" is a popular song written by Nick Acquaviva and Ted Varnick and published in 1957.
Tony Bennett version
The recording by Tony Bennett was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40965. It first reached the Bi ...
" (1957). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
.
* "Hangin' Around" (1958). Lyrics by Ted Varnick; performed by Guy Mitchell and
Richard Hayes.
* "We Know" (1960). Lyrics by Peter Udell; performed by Joni James.
* "Is It Asking Too Much" (1965). Music with Ted Varnick; lyrics by
Carl Sigman; performed by
Jerry Vale
Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover ...
.
Selected discography
* ''The Exciting Sound of Acquaviva and His Orchestra''
:
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
DL 74465; DL 4465
:
: (the Worldcat entry 36030523 incorrectly attributes the album to
Tony Acquaviva
Anthony "Tony" Acquaviva (May 10, 1925 – September 27, 1986 )
# "Intermission"
# "Green Valley"
# "Open your eyes"
# "Hills of Rome"
# "Dancing notes"
# "Autumn again"
# "Yesterday's love"
# "A new shade of blue"
# "One look at you"
# "I found a rainbow"
# "A fool was I"
# "C'est la vie"
# "After a dream"
References
Notes
Inline citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acquaviva, Nick
1927 births
2003 deaths
Songwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American composers
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Navy sailors
People from Beacon, New York