Trivia

In the history of the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour, only two performers were ever called back for an encore. The first was Frank Sinatra, he the second.

He was notorious for his ability to throw his voice, and frequently emptied airplanes, restaurants and hotel lobbies as he imitated a kitten in distress.

Father, with wife Carol West, of actress Char Fontane, who died in 2007.

On the afternoon of September 3, 1957, Fontane finished a rehearsal for a television special at NBC in Burbank and was driving to his home when another motorist ran a red light and plowed into the driver's side of Fontane's sports car. It took rescue workers more than 2½ hours to extricate the singer from his vehicle. Rushed to the hospital, he remained in a coma on the brink of death for a month. His injuries included two broken legs, a crushed chest, massive head injuries, broken ribs, cracked vertebrae and severe internal injuries. A full-fledged atheist , he experienced a spiritual awakening upon his recovery and abandoned his pop career completely (he was sued by the William Morris Agency), turning instead to gospel and inspirational music for the rest of his life.

Four days before his death, he was helped from his hospital bed to a church where he sang "Just As I Am".

Popular night club and Las Vegas entertainer, known for his soaring tenor voice. Hits with Mercury Records label were "The Syncopated Clock" and "Cold, Cold Heart".