Famous Belleville Citizens You Should Know

Jack Carroll

   There is something here in our village of three rivers that makes you want to sing. Some of us believe it's the water.  Perhaps we should bottle our water and sell it to aspiring singers, we could make a fortune.  Why should anyone think that Belleville water will make them sing better?  Well, consider the imposing list of vocalists from Belleville who have gone on to become world famous superstars.  For example, there was Silver Lake's Nick Lucas, jazz guitarist and singer known as  "the Crooning Troubadour", a very popular recording star and musical film performer in the 1920s, 1930s and for decades after. Silver Lake also gave us Tommy DeVito, lead guitarist and singer with The Four Seasons. If you don't know who The Four Seasons are, you better start reading-up on town history. The world knows where Belleville, New Jersey is because of these "Jersey Boys".

   Other parts of Belleville were no less prolific producers of singing greats.  Belleville's own sweetheart, Connie Francis, popular for as long as anyone here can remember, still sings today.  Then, there are those outrageously beautiful girls from School Number 8 on Union Avenue who call themselves The Delicates. The Delicates reached stardom during the rock 'n' roll days of Alan Freed, Clay Cole and Murray the K whose theme song they wrote and recorded along with their many hits.  The deliciously pretty Peggy Santiglia from that group also sings with The Angels of rock 'n' roll fame.  Most recently there is Gerard Way, the platinum recording star who is making our modern teeny boppers swoon.  Ask any youngster in town, especially the young girls, they will fill in all the details as to why he is simply the best ever.

   We must return to Silver Lake to meet the Belleville superstar who will be the focus of this essay.  I'm sure many older folks in town still remember him; Jack Carroll, big band crooner of the '40s and '50s.  He lived to be rich in years, reached the age of 83 and passed on not so long ago in 2005.

   Jack Carroll was the stage name of Vincenzo Ralph Riccio. He was born at home on Magnolia Street in Silver Lake on August 24, 1921 to Teresina and Gaetano Riccio.  In his school days, at School Number 4, he was called "Jidge", a nickname that stayed with him throughout his life. While still a young schoolboy, he gained a reputation as "quite a warbler" and was frequently in demand at neighborhood gatherings.  He always wanted to be a singer.  At age 13 he made a debut appearance at Fuld Hall in Newark where he sang "My Heart is an Open Book".  His career moved forward as, several times, he won Arthur Godfrey's Talent Show contests.

   A sports minded teenager, Vincenzo Riccio played third-base for three years on the high school varsity baseball team before graduating in 1938.  After graduation and while waiting for a break into show business, he earned money first as a truck driver for the Charms Candy Company and then as an employee of Westinghouse. While at Westinghouse, he joined with a few co-workers, who also enjoyed singing, to experiment with recording their own songs. During this time, he performed at an event before New Jersey Governor Charles Edison singing "I'll Walk You Home Again, Kathleen", a favorite number of the Governor's.

   He was 20 years old when his big break into the show world came. He signed on as lead male singer with Les Brown "and his band of renown".  He then assumed the stage name, Jack Carroll.  Traveling with the Les Brown band and soon-to-be-famous female lead singer Doris Day, the stage name of Mary Ann Kappelhoff, he toured the country and was often heard, several nights weekly,  on Columbia Network radio, broadcasting from the Palladium night club in Hollywood.  Stardom came quickly. At times he also sang with the bands of Tex Beneke and Sammy Kaye. (I can hear older readers thinking, "Wow, that's great", and younger readers thinking, "Who are they?"  Younger readers are going to have to trust me on this one, these were the most famous entertainers of their time. Just ask your grandmother, she will explain everything.)  While in Hollywood, he was engaged to perform a singing roll in the movie, "Forty Guns" with Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Barry.  That roll was followed by another in "Seven Days Leave" with Lucille Ball, Victor Mature and the Les Brown orchestra.

   There was to be a third movie roll immediately after this, but it was 1942 and there was a war on, the U.S. Army had other plans for our troubadour, so big band crooner Jack Carroll became Cpl. Vincent Riccio.  The Army, wise in the way of deploying men to best advantage, felt that Cpl. Riccio could best serve his country by singing. There is a marvelous tale about him that emerges from the war years.  He provided a truly heart-touching moment when he gave a private performance for a little, paralyzed girl.

   Riccio was part of the cast of the Camp Davis Artillerymen bond-selling show in New Bern, NC.  When the group learned about 11-year old Peggy Tendall, who was eager to see the show, a musical review called "Daffy Draftees" performed by the 44th AA Battalion, but could not attend because of her condition, the entire cast rushed out to her house between performances and gave a special performance just for her.  Cpl. Riccio of C Battery, 44th Battalion sang "Paper Doll". The soldiers, on the spur of the moment, changed the words of some of the lyrics to use Peggy's name.  

   In September of 1943, while home in Belleville on furlough, he married a young lady, Frances "Sookie" Smith by name, who became his life-long companion in a ceremony at St. Anthony's Church.  Two weeks later, while still in town, he returned to the church to entertain at a young people's Friday night dance.  He really did love to sing, and what a treat for the youngsters to have such a famous, home-town entertainer perform for them.

    After the war, Cpl. Riccio, reincarnated as Jack Carroll, resumed his singing career.  A very much sought after night club entertainer, he went on into recording for the popular music market.  One of his albums, "My Heart Sings", has been recently re-released.  In later years he could be heard on radio and TV as the singing voice behind such well-known commercials as those for Progresso Soup, Burger King, Kodak, and Perrier. His career spanned six decades. Even when in his seventies and at eighty, he was known to accept an occasional gig.

   Jack Carroll's voice can be heard on this 1942 rendition of "When The Lights Go On Again (all over the world)" with the Les Brown orchestra at this link -

http://www.authentichistory.com/1939-1945/4-music/11-Separation/19420720_When_The_Lights_Go_On_Again-Les_Brown.html

 His performance in the movie, "Forty Guns", can be seen on YouTube at this link -

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdtEnpgx-8E

   His re-released album, "My Heart Sings", is available at many on-line music outlets. Another of his recordings, a light hearted, up-tempo love song from the '50s, can be heard here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7jWro66uY

   We are rightfully proud of the many citizens of Belleville who have achieved remarkable success.  Jack Carroll is high on the list of those we admire.

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