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Peter Lemongello (born February 11, 1947) is an American singer from Jersey City, New Jersey and North Babylon, New York, best known for his double album Love '76, the first albums to be sold exclusively through television advertising. After spending years as a cabaret career, with several appearances on national TV (including 25 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Lemongello hit upon the idea of creating an album to be sold exclusively on TV.

Love '76

Peter Lemongello is the first person to sell over a million records through a television direct marketing campaign, and was also the first entertainer to underwrite a television direct advertising campaign selling shares in the project to private investors.

Using a city-by-city marketing strategy, he and his partners began their Love ‘76 advertising campaign with an around the dial TV Blitz in the New York Market, January 1, 1976 targeting all six New York metropolitan channels 70 to 100 times a week. Sales of the double album skyrocked him to fame,and the campaign entered Los Angeles and Las Vegas and the album began to sell in the millions, attracting widespread media attention.

The artist attracted the attention of Private Stock Records, who signed Lemongello in April 1976. By choice, Lemongello ended his self promotional efforts and released his second album,"Do I Love You",in early 1977. Shortly after it's release, Private Stock Records went out of business. Lemongello concentrated on live performances, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Today

Lemongello has continued his career in Branson, Missouri, billed as Branson's "Italian Crooner". Most recently Peter has adopted The Great American Songbook and appears frequently across the country.

Today Peter currently lives in Boca Raton, FL with his wife Karen, and his son Peter Jr. Peter Lemongello Jr. always sings on stage during his father's shows and has sung Can't Help Falling In Love (Duet with his father), The Wanderer (Solo by Peter Jr.), and currently sings Sweet Caroline (Duet with his father), and Jailhouse Rock (Solo by Peter Jr.).

Parodies

Lemongello was spoofed in the episode of Saturday Night Live that originally aired May 22, 1976, with Chevy Chase playing a singer named Peter Lemon Mood Ring, who changed colors with every song. It was widely appreciated, and Chevy Chase continued the spoof in the Universal Feature Film, "Fletch Lives" in the late 1980s. The Love '76 commercial was parodied by recording artist Will Dailey in May 2009. This video captures the scene of two stereotypical show business managers coercing Dailey to appear in a TV advertisement for his new album, Torrent, so that he can recreate the success of Peter Lemongello, Zamfir and Slim Whitman. The commercial itself is a scene-by-scene recreation of the original Lemongello spot that first aired on television in 1976.

What Lemongello accomplished is still talked about, studied in college marketing courses and referenced as the best method of circumventing the established industry by going directly to the public to create a career, in advertising agencies across the country even today, some 35 years later.

References

1. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1711180/ IMBd Direct
2. http://www.charlesrapp.com/Details.aspx?mId=136 Charles Rapp Enterprises – Peter Lemongello Retrieved May 5, 2007
3. http://mailman.xmission.com/pipermail/exotica/2002-September/006055.html Exotica@mailman.xmission.com Exotica.com
4. “The $390,000 Man” Time; Monday, May. 31, 1976

External links

• The Official Peter Lemongello Website
• The $390,000 Man” Time Magazine; Monday, May 31, 1976 Retrieved May 9, 2007
• Official Peter Lemongello MySpace Music Page

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• Use mdy dates from September 2010
• American pop singers
• American businesspeople
• Direct marketing
• 1947 births
• Living people