Singer, 79, would not miss late friend’s benefit

By Jerry Fink

Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Julius La Rosa, still very much alive and singing, heads the list of guests who will perform at the 20th annual Joe Williams Benefit Concert on Sunday.

La Rosa, 79, performed on Arthur Godfrey’s radio and television show in 1950s and was fired on the air by the host.

It’s believed Godfrey was angry because La Rosa had hired an agent — breaking one of the host’s rules for his performers, whom he called “Little Godfreys.” Some suggest the real reason may have been that La Rosa was getting more fan mail than Godfrey.

The resulting furor hurt Godfrey’s career. But La Rosa went on to have hits with songs such as “Eh, Cumpari” and “Domani.” He spent 30 or so weeks on the road and appeared on other TV variety shows.

La Rosa, who met Williams during a Jerry Lewis telethon in Las Vegas, says he’s coming out of semiretirement to perform at the benefit. Comedian Cork Proctor will host the concert. Other performers include Pete Barbutti, Voci Vegas, Artie Butler, Vincent Falcone, the College of Southern Nevada Jazz Chorus and the CSN All Stars.

Williams, a legendary blues singer, lived in Las Vegas. He died in March 1999, weeks before he was to perform at a concert to raise money for scholarships for music students at CSN.

When Williams died, Ed Foster, a longtime friend, hastily put together a concert featuring Robert Goulet and Buddy Greco. The concert has continued over the years, and Foster has an exhibit at the West Charleston Heights Library featuring photos of all those who have performed. The exhibit continues through June 2.

The latest picture will be of La Rosa, who recently spoke to the Sun by telephone from his home near Tarrytown, N.Y.

Are people surprised you are still performing?

Oh, yeah. I have a page of things people have said to me, like, “I thought you were dead.” They come up and say things like, “Oh, gee, I remember when you were young.” Well, they didn’t have to remind me.

I do a couple of dozen engagements a year. In the beginning, after I left Godfrey, I was on road 30, 40 weeks a year. Now I say I’m semiretired. When they pay what they’re supposed to pay, I go to work. When they don’t, I say no thank you.

What happened after you were fired on the air in 1953?

After I left the Godfrey show, Ella Fitzgerald, God rest her soul, put it all in proper perspective for me. It was in 1954. I was doing a show at a theater in Times Square and Ella was the extra added attraction. In between shows we would talk. I told her at one point that I knew I had a lot to learn. To her everlasting credit she said, “Julius, it took me 10 years to learn how to walk out on that stage. You have plenty of time.” She was a lovely, lovely lady.

Were things difficult for you after Godfrey?

He put me on the show when I had never been in the business. Working on radio and television is not at all like working in front of a live audience, whether in a saloon or an auditorium or whatever. So, I was accustomed to attentive audiences on radio and television. They don’t talk while you’re doing your show. But when you get into a saloon, unless you can take charge, they eat you up. It’s not from meanness, but they came to be entertained and you’re not entertaining until you know what you’re doing. It took a long time for me to learn how to do it right. And learning how to do it right requires one thing — self-confidence. When you have self-confidence the audience knows it and respects you. It took me 10, 15 years to be fully confident onstage.

Did you ever talk to Godfrey again?

Right after that show I went up to him to thank him for the opportunity he had given me. Later on, some years later, he was quoted as saying, “The only SOB who ever thanked me was Julius La Rosa.” I saw him a couple of times. The last time was at his office’s request that I go and discuss possibly a show with him, me being Ed McMahon to his Johnny Carson, so to speak. When I go to his office to talk to him about it, it turned out he was not very nice, so I terminated the meeting by turning to him and saying, “Mr. Godfrey, I’m sorry it went this way” and walked out.

How was he not nice?

When I got there, after the small talk, he said, “Why didn’t you come to my defense when the press went after me the way they did?” I said, “Come to your defense? You fired me publicly, humiliated me publicly, called me obstreperous, said I was this, that and the other, and you want me to come to your defense?” I says, “The hell with you.” He says, “Ha. I’ve been taping this, now I’ve got it. Now America will know.”

How is your life? Any regrets?

I live a very, very peaceful existence. I have a little grandson who knocks me out. You reach a certain time in life when you take it easy and enjoy what’s coming and think back about the nice things and forget about the not so nice things. They aren’t important.