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Jerry Vale always knew that he wanted to sing. His tremendous vocal talent and charismatic personality allowed the crooner to impress both in recording and in live performances, as he toured all over the country and regularly topped the pop charts throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In this conversation with Wink Martindale, Vale discusses his career as a performer, some of his most popular recordings, and the people that helped him in his professional journey. He provides a personal look at his fantastic rise to success.

In part two, we hear about Welk from his manager Sam Lutz and others that played an important part in his career. We also hear from Lawrence Welk in a conversation he had with Wink Martindale in 1973. Welk shares stories of numerous performances across the country, his time on tour, and interactions with his fans. He also discusses his television career and his eventual return to recording music with Dot Records.

Lawrence Welk left home at the age of 21 and spent two years trying to get a job with bands with little success. Though his career got off to a rocky start, Welk would go on to become a renowned musician, bandleader, and television personality. In part one, we hear about Welk's earliest days of his life and career. In a conversation with Wink Martindale in 1973, he reflects on the beginning of his career and journey to success, while sharing intimate details about his personal life and experiences.

Bobby Goldsboro describes the first song he ever wrote with a laugh as "one of the worst you've ever heard". Though those first attempts at songwriting weren't exactly successful, he went on to enjoy a wildly successful career, including the chart-topping hit "Honey", which sold more than a million copies in the United States. At the height of his popularity in 1973, Goldsboro sat down with Wink Martindale to discuss his wildly successful career, that included 16 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Billy Eckstine didn't consider singing a potential profession until he earned $5 as second prize in an amateur competition. He was bitten by the showbiz bug after working as an MC and singer in his hometown of Pittsburgh while on summer break from college. He decided not to return to college and eventually began working in clubs throughout Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago. Eckstine sat down with Wink Martindale for an interview in May of 1973.

While some would contend that Carly Simon's wealthy background gave her a leg up, her talent and skill as a musician make it clear that she earned every bit of her current and future success on her own. Her first break came while she was on vacation. She and her sister, Lucy, took a trip to Cape Cod and tried to get a job performing in a summer resort. As luck would have it, the previous performer had left, so they started singing there with a repertoire of three songs.

Despite her phenomenal success as a singer, Joni James initially had dreams of dancing. While she continued to receive scholarships and praise for her vocal performances, dancing was what she wanted to pursue and she continued to pay for lessons. When faced with the decision of going to school or pursuing her career, on the advice of a producer that "youth was the most urgent thing in show business", she dove headfirst into singing.

Brenda Lee's astoundingly successful career began at the early age of three, when she won a singing contest. At the age of 15, her career was well underway, drawing comparisons to the legendary Judy Garland and accumulating fans all over the world. She is perhaps best known for her 1960s single, "I'm Sorry", which she recorded at the age of just 14. Lee sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss her captivating musical career. She speaks about her roots in gospel music, her many hit singles, and her deep love of music.

When Kenny Rogers started singing in high school, he went through numerous gimmicks and phases trying to find a way to make his voice identifiable. Audiences didn't respond to what he was doing, and on the advice of a friend, he dropped the gimmicks and started to embrace his own sound. Many awards, hit songs, and decades later, and there is no doubt of his gift for storytelling and distinctive sound.

In 1973, Captain & Tennille wrote and cut a record completely at their own expense. The product of that recording session, "The Way I Want to Touch You", proved to be a regional hit and was the first step in their fascinating journey to major label success. The couple sat down with host Wink Martindale just as their first hit was climbing the charts. In this captivating interview, they discuss how they got started in music, the creation of their first album, and their love of performing.

Patti Page's music provided a soothing counterpoint to the revolutionary sound of rock n' roll in the 1950s, incorporating elements of country music into traditional pop songs. From 1948 through 1970 she had nearly 100 records on the Billboard Singles chart, including "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window", "Old Cape Cod", "Allegheny Moon", and "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte". Page sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss her personal life, the early days of her career, and her astounding popular success.

Harry Belafonte didn't start out with a dream of being a singer. He wanted to be an actor and studied theater for five years in New York. Unable to find work as an actor, he had to choose between abandoning dreams of being a performer entirely and finding a new area of entertainment to pursue. Opportunity struck when he was offered a chance to be an intermission singer at a local jazz club, and his singing talent began to catch on.

Though his work was often classified as just "arrangements", Percy Faith's work went well beyond that and could be more accurately described as "recompositions". He got his start as a child studying piano and eventually made his mark as an instrumental stylist, importing elements of jazz and rock into mood music. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Faith discusses the work it takes to find and keep fans, his lengthy music career, and his focus on creating music that makes him happy versus music that might sell well.

Al Martino's success began in 1952 with the single "Here in My Heart". The self-taught crooner went on to find his biggest success in an unlikely source in 1963 with a version of "I Love You Because", which was originally a country tune. In August of 1972, he sat down for an interview with host Wink Martindale to reflect on his storied career. Martino discusses his early life growing up, some of his musical influences, and the highs and lows of his musical journey.

Gordon Jenkins arranged for legendary musicians, recorded a dozen hit singles - including "P.S. I Love You" and "Blue Prelude" - and has had a host of other accomplishments in the world of music. The arranger, composer, and pianist was influential throughout the '40s and '50s. Despite his many musical talents, Jenkins discusses his desire, but unfortunate inability, to sing. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Jenkins talks about his expansive musical work, accomplished career, and focusing on writing well versus writing to get rich.

Our third and final installment of a three-part exploration of the career of Elvis Presley takes a look at the final years for the legendary singer who we first became aware of in 1954 when he released his first single "That's Alright Mama" on Sun Records. That first single marked the beginning of an astonishing career during which he rose to become the most famous rock and roll star in the world.

We begin our exploration of the career of Elvis Presley, which found him recording for the now world-famous Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips in 1954. Only a few short years later, he would shift to RCA Records, releasing his first single for the label, "Heartbreak Hotel", in January of 1956. As host Wink Martindale recalls, "Presleymania" was in full swing by 1957. Longtime Presley associates Carl Perkins, Scotty Moore, Ray Walker, and Gordon Stoker are just a few of the names who join Wink to share their memories of those early days of Presley's career.

Ray Conniff got his start arranging and conducting for other recording artists. His success working for others eventually led to Columbia allowing him to record an album under his own name, which was released to great success and acclaim. Conniff was the first artist to use voices and vocal arrangements as part of the instrumentation. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Conniff discusses his unique sound, evolving his style, and his passion for creating music.

Lou Rawls got his start as a church choir boy. He performed a wide variety of musical styles, including gospel; soul; R&B; and jazz and blues for movies, TV shows, commercials, and numerous successful albums. In an interview with host Wink Martindale, Rawls discusses the many changes in the way music was created and performed throughout his career, his plentiful awards and accolades, and his early life growing up in Chicago.

Eddy Arnold dominated popular and country music from the late 40s to the 60s, despite changing tastes over those two eventful decades. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Arnold recounts his early life as a farm boy that earned him the nickname "The Tennessee Ploughboy" and his eventual rise to arguably become the king of country. Arnold continues to discuss his work as a musician, his leap from country to pop, and the struggles and triumphs of his career and personal life.