With a voice “as easy and relaxed as though she’s singing over the backyard fence” (People magazine 1996), Rosemary Clooney launched her career singing duets with her late sister Betty, on a radio station in Cincinnati. In 1947, Betty and Rosemary joined the Pastor Band as The Clooney Sisters, making their debut at The Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Two years later, Rosemary signed a solo recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1951, she recorded her first single, an infectious version of “Come On-a My House” which proved to be an enormous success and her vehicle to stardom.

Clooney’s television and film appearances include the classic White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (1954), and The Rosemary Clooney Show (1956-57). 1995, the 50th anniversary of her start in show business, was a banner year for Clooney. Her CD Demi-Centennial was nominated for a Grammy and she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role on NBC’s top-rated ER.

Clooney’s first Carnegie Hall performance, “In Concert: Rosemary Clooney and the Arrangers” was in 1991, followed by a tribute to Bing Crosby at Carnegie Hall in 1993. Her third appearance was in September 1996, with “Rosemary Clooney Sings Nelson Riddle.” “Dedicated to Nelson,” her 20th recording for the Concord Jazz label. climbed to the top 10 on the Billboard jazz charts. In 1996, she also released her first “official” Christmas album, White Christmas, which topped Billboard’s jazz chart in December.

Lauded by The Washington Post as part of “that special club that not only sings standards but sets them,” Clooney’s singing has a “warmth, a depth of understanding, an honesty that surpasses craft.”

Clooney has strong Irish heritage; both her father and mother had significant Irish ancestry. She  proudly identified with her Irish roots, even titling her first autobiography This for Remembrance: the Autobiography of Rosemary Clooney, an Irish-American Singer.

Her father, Andrew Joseph Clooney, was of Irish and German descent. The Clooney surname itself is Irish, originating from the Gaelic word cluain, meaning “meadow”. Her great-grandfather was named Nicholas Clooney.
Her mother, Marie Frances Guilfoyle, was of Irish and English ancestry. The Guilfoyle name further reinforces her strong Irish lineage.
She was raised Catholic and the family was deeply connected to their background, with many members, including her brother Nick and nephew George, becoming respected entertainers.
Her strong connection to her heritage was noted by others; singer Billie Holiday once toasted her in a nightclub with, “To girl singers, especially us Irish singers”.

The Clooney clan’s ancestral roots in Ireland can be tied to several counties, including County Clare and County Wexford.

Note: Rosemary Clooney’s final recordings, captured on her album “The Last Concert”, were made in late 2001 at Feinstein’s at the Regency in NYC, shortly after 9/11, featuring poignant performances of classics like “Tenderly,” “Sisters,” and a heartfelt “God Bless America,” marking a bittersweet farewell with her longtime accompanist John Oddo and a retrospective feel. The singer with the deep warm voice, passed away on June 29, 2002, but her connection to Ireland remains. Her son, Rafael Ferrer, who married Belfast native, Heather O’Neill, has lived in County Louth for many years. Rosemary visited Ireland many times and attended the baptism of her Irish grandchild (Rafael’s child) in June 2001.