Born in 1912 in Canonsburg, PA, Como was working as a singing barber in his hometown when he began touring with local bandleader Freddie Carlone at the age of 21. By the mid-'30s, he got his big break with Ted Weems & His Orchestra, who headed a popular radio show named Beat the Band. After the orchestra broke up in 1942, Como hosted a regional CBS radio show later called Supper Club. The show's success gained him a contract with RCA Victor Records by 1943, and he also began working in Hollywood with Something for the Boys.
