A captivating portrait of the singing star who defied the Mafia but stayed true to his Italian rootsThe Mob couldn't live with Jimmy Roselli and it couldn't live without him. The more he resisted their influence - something few people got away with - the more the Mafia wives and mothers fell in love with his voice...<br><br>Standing Room Only is the true story of a great entertainer whose amazing vocal range, passion and power made him a star in nightclubs where 'they used to have intermissions to take the wounded out'. In his prime Jimmy Roselli made $30,000 a week at Caesar's Palace and the Copacabana, but his refusal to accept Mafia control in the 1960s meant he never found the worldwide success his talent deserved. Jimmy Roselli now has his own record company and still lives in New Jersey where he - and Frank Sinatra - grew up, in the heart of the Italian community who are his greatest lifelong fans.
This is a fascinating tale of Italian-American culture and musical heritage, of performance and glamour at its finest, of the workings of the Mafia in showbiz and in American society. David Evanier records this colourful life through interviews with friends and fellow performers, including Jimmy Durante, Joe E Lewis, Tony Bennett and the Rat Pack, and in Jimmy Roselli's own inimitable, Runyonesque words.<br><br>"Jimmy Roselli has a larger, richer voice than Frank Sinatra. He's a miracle" - Sammy Kahn