Vincent James Moschello

Obituary For Vincent James Moschello

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Vincent (Jimmy) Moschello, the bass/baritone singer who was an original member of Vito Picone & The Elegants - and whose mega hit "Little Star," topped the charts and earned a gold record in 1958 - died in Staten Island University Hospital on Monday, according to his family who were by his side. He was 88. Born in New Brighton on May 10, 1937 to Angelina and Michael Moschello, Mr. Moschello was one four children, three boys and a girl.A singer with a passion for his craft, he joined Vito Picone & The Elegants in 1957, and remained an integral part of the doo wop group for more than six decades - until his death "Anyone who grew up in that era, knew young kids hung out in South Beach on the boardwalk," noted Picone."We had over 100 kids on the boardwalk at times. We brought in singer Artie Venosa, who brought singer Jimmy Moschello to the table and Frankie Tardogna. And that's how Vito Picone & The Elegants was formed. And once we had the nucleus of the group we sang at church dances and we started live auditions at the record companies all over the city."Jimmy was a character," added Picone. "We literally were closer than brothers. And all the guys in the group we bonded the closest - especially in the last 15 years that we were together. He was very friendly and outgoing and everybody loved him. He would say things that were very funny and break up the monotony. He was the center of attention. I teased him my whole life. It was a friendly thing. Everyone knew him. He was friends with everybody. I could name 15 top artists from the era who loved him with kind words to say. He would do anything for anybody. It didn't make a difference in time - he would be there."