Liberace

Wladziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987), better known by the stage name Liberace (and known to his friends as Lee), was a charismatic American entertainer.

Early life and stage name

Liberace was born in West Allis, Wisconsin and grew up in a musical family. He had a twin who died at birth. He was classically trained as a pianist and gained wide experience playing popular music. Lee followed the advice of famous Polish pianist and family friend Paderewski and billed himself under his last name only. As his classical career developed he found that his whimsical encores, in which he played pop songs and marches, went over better with audiences than his renditions of classical pieces, so he changed his act to "pop with a bit of classics". At other times he referred to his act as "classical music with the boring parts left out." During the mid and late 1940s he performed in dinner clubs and nightclubs in major cities around the United States.

Related Topics:
West Allis, Wisconsin - Pianist - Paderewski

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