- Began with George Hall's Orchestra in the 1930's.
- Made numerous recordings with Enoch Light during the 1970's and 80's.
- Staff musician at CBS from 1941.
- In January 1950, he leads his orchestra for the American version of the French song "C'est si bon" which was written in 1947 by Henri Betti (music) and André Hornez (lyrics). The English lyrics were written by Jerry Seelen in 1949. The recording took place in New York and the song was sung by Johnny Desmond.
- He composed music for the TV documentary Two Childhoods, which was about Vice President Hubert Humphrey and writer James Baldwin, and won an Emmy Award for his work.
- Like many of his contemporaries, Mottola began learning to play the banjo, but then took up the guitar.
- Mottola worked often on television, appearing as a regular on shows hosted by vocalist Perry Como and comedian Sid Caesar and as music director for the 1950s series Danger.
- He had his first guitar lessons from his father.
- From 1958 to 1972, he was a member of The Tonight Show Orchestra led by Skitch Henderson, then by Doc Severinsen.
- His only charted single as a soloist was "This Guy's in Love with You", which reached No. 22 on the Billboard magazine Easy Listening Top 40 in the summer of 1968.
- Jazz guitarist who played and toured with Frank Sinatra.
- In 1980, Mottola began performing with Frank Sinatra, often in duets, appearing at Carnegie Hall and the White House.
- In 1945, he collaborated with accordionist John Serry Sr. in a recording of "Leone Jump" for Sonora Records (MS-476-3) which was played in jukeboxes throughout the U.S.
- He attended high school alongside ill-fated jazz saxophonist Herbie Haymer and future bandleader George Paxton.
- His first recordings were duets with guitarist Carl Kress.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content