"Ray Barber" 1923-2009; (Michael Joseph Barbetta)
Mr. Barbetta died, 30 June, 2009, at South Florida Baptist Hospital, Plant City, Hillsborough Co, FL,at age 86.
He was born 8 June 1923 and grew up in the Bronx, NY. After serving in the U.S. Army, in World War II, he became a barber and sang in coffee houses and resorts in the Poconos and Catskills. Around the age of thirty he won an Arthur Godfrey talent competition.
In the early 1950s, he was known to have a velvet-voiced baritone which thrilled audiences with love songs, serenading women, gazing into their eyes and holding their hands. Mercury Records called him the "New Voice" of his generation. He was billed in variety shows with such entertainers as Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, and Sal Mineo and performed for Frank Sinatra.
In 1950, after his recording of "Because of You", his friend Antonio Bennedetto requested an opportunity to also record it, becoming Tony Bennett's No. 1 hit for 10 weeks, in 1951.
Mr. Barber's hit records from 1950 to 1952, included "Because of You", "When I Saw You", " It's Over" and a brisk "On Top of Old Smokey". Into his eighties he sang at local karaoke bars, the Lakeland Holiday Inn-South, Plant City's Florida Opry, and VFW halls.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 37 years, Marie, and is survived by a daughter, Darlene Sefton, and a nephew. A Memorial celebration was held at La Dolce Vita Lounge, Holiday Inn Lakeland-South, Lakeland, FL.