Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo, January 14,1908-September 1, 1934, better known by the name, Russ Columbo, was an American singer, violinist and actor, most famous for his signature tune, "Some Call It Madness, But I Call It Love," and the legend surrounding his early death.

Columbo was born in Camden, New Jersey, the twelfth child of Italian immigrant parents. He started playing the violin while still very young, and debuted professionally at the age of 13. He left high school at 17 to travel with various bands around the country. He sang and played violin in numerous nightclubs.

By 1928, at the age of 20, Columbo began to participate in motion pictures. In several of his early films, his voice and violin were overdubbed to create the illusion that various popular entertainers were musical. Eventually, he did obtain some feature work in front of the camera, but he slowed down his activities in cinema to pursue other interests.

Columbo tried to run a nightclub for a while, but the venture was unsuccessful. In 1931, he traveled to New York with his manager, songwriter Con Conrad. Conrad secured a late-night radio slot with NBC. This led to numerous engagments, a recording contract with Victor records, and tremendous popularity with legions of mostly female fans. The type of singing that was popularized by the likes of Columbo, Rudy Vallee, and Bing Crosby is called crooning. Columbo disliked the label, but it caught on with the general public. It gained popular credence, despite its initial use as a term of derision for the singers employing their low, soothing voices in romantic songs.

On September 1, 1934, Columbo was shot under peculiar circumstances by his longtime friend, photographer Lansing Brown . Columbo's death was ruled an accident, and Brown exonerated from blame.

• Twenty Legends About Russ Columbo
• The Appeal of Crooners
• Good introduction to Columbo--some basic facts implemented into this article
• Recordings
• Some reviews of a Russ Columbo book from Feral House
• IMDB entry

Biographies

• Lanza, Joseph and Dennis Penna. Russ Columbo and the Crooner Mystique. Feral House, 2002. ISBN: 0922915806
• Miano, Lou, Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend. Silver Tone Publications, 2001. ISBN: 0967797012

General Histories

• Kaye, Lenny. You Call It Madness : The Sensuous Song of the Croon. Villard, 2004. ISBN: 0679463089