THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 1996 TAG: 9602140028
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
IT TAKES A lot of willpower to write a story about Julius La-Rosa without mentioning that he was fired by Arthur Godfrey.
``That always comes up,'' said LaRosa, who will be at Willett Hall Thursday with the Artie Shaw Band and the Ink Spots. ``It's a double-edged sword.''
The nasal one accused his singer of lacking humility. That was followed by ``you're fired.'' All during one of his television shows.
By that time, though, LaRosa was a household name.
``Godfrey, like all of us, had his moods,'' LaRosa said during a phone interview from Daytona.
Apparently, the television host was in a good mood when he visited a naval facility in Pensacola and heard some servicemen singing at an enlisted men's club.
``He heard me and told me to see him,'' said LaRosa. He was hired on the spot.
While in the Navy - he joined in 1947 after graduating high school - he spent time in Norfolk whenever the ships on which he served were docked there.
In 1949, LaRosa was assigned to shore patrol in Norfolk. ``Rookie shore patrol,'' he said. ``One time there were a couple kids - sailors - fighting. One had a big gash in his head - hit by a bottle.
``My companion went into the bar, then someone ran out - the kid with the gash. I'm running after him. He falls down. I'm on top. A crowd gathers. They tell me, `(You) didn't have to hit him.' ''
LaRosa, an electronics technician, joined the Navy to learn electronics, intending to go into business with his father when he re-entered the civilian world.
Godfrey changed all that. In 1951, LaRosa performed on his radio show, and six months later became a regular on ``The Arthur Godfrey Television Show.'' By the age of 22, he was a celebrity.
``I began singing in high school, then in the Navy,'' said LaRosa, a Brooklynite who once dreamed of being a Dodger.
``I've cut a couple hundred records,'' he said, adding that we can probably look forward to him hustling a ``best of'' album on television.
``Two songs I'll do in Portsmouth - `Just in Time' and `You Make Me Feel So Young' - will probably be on that record.''
You will, of course, hear and sing along with his biggest hit, ``E Cumpare.''
The singer that offered him inspiration? Sinatra. ``Most of the singers of my era were inspired by him.''
Like Sinatra, the affable LaRosa is no stranger to praise. Critics are offering rave reviews about his performances.
``I'm sure you're aware - I'm a good singer,'' he said. ``For about 20 years I was always uncertain. Fifteen years ago, I stopped being that way.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
CONCERT FACTS
What: Julius LaRosa, Abe Most conducting the Artie Shaw
Orchestra, Johnny Smith's Ink Spots.
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 15.
Where: Willett Hall, Portsmouth.
Tickets: Reserved seats $10. To charge by phone, call 671-8100.
For directions, call 393-5144.
by CNB