buddy greco was born armando joseph greco to an italian-american family in philadelphia, pennsylvania. his mother introduced him to piano at age four. as a child he sang on the radio, and as a teen performed in night clubs in philadelphia. at age 16, he was hired by bandleader benny goodman and spent four years touring the world with the goodman orchestra, playing piano, singing, and arranging. in 1951 greco started his recording career, signing with labels such as coral, kapp, epic, and reprise.