Anthony Acquaviva (May 10, 1925 – September 27, 1986"Anthony Acquaviva, Composer, Dies at 61", Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2011.) was an American composer, conductor and string instrumentalist, and the founder of the New York Pops Symphony Orchestra."Acquaviva Shapes Symphony Project", Billboard, March 6, 1961, p.1.
Acquaviva was a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served in the Army's orchestral division from 1944 to 1948. As a struggling young musician in New York City, he roomed with singer Guy Mitchell, sleeping on the floor for lack of furniture and once admitted to the press that the refrigerator there contained only one jar of mustard.
He married Joni James in 1956 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York CityBill Bell, "Joni James: A Melancholy Baby Returns", Daily News (New York), October 28, 2000. and served as her manager and conductor.
He recorded for MGM Records.Some of Acquaviva's songs are credited to Nick Acquaviva. (See, e.g., David F. Lonergan, Hit Records, 1950–1975 (Scarecrow Press, 2004), , pp. 67, 110, 156. Excerpt available at Google Books.) Some sources treat Nick as the same person referred to in other sources as Tony (See, e.g., Mark Rotella, Amore: The Story of Italian American Song (Macmillan, 2010), , p. 154. Excerpt available at Google Books.), but another source states that Nick was Tony's younger brother. (See Metronome magazine, vol. 70, p. 44 (1954). Excerpt available at Google Books.)
Acquaviva later fell into poor health, and Joni James retired from performing to care for him (and their two children, adopted from Italy) for the last 18 years of his life.
References
External links discography Joni James official website biography