Tony grew up in San Martino Italy, a town of about 8,000 people where his father operated a hotel. Tony Della Malva was a junior accountant at the Banco Di Napoli. In 1953 Lou Parente, a partner in Parente's Italian Village Restaurant took his mother to San Martino, where she was born. Tony met them and sang for them. In 1955 Parente's brother and partner, Joe Parente, visited San Martino. Tony took his guitar under the American's balcony and serenaded him late at night. When Joe Parente left San Martino, he promised to help Tony get a job if he moved to St. Louis. Two years later, Tony quit his bank job, talked his father into buying him a steamboat ticket and set sail for America. Once in St. Louis Tony would sing by night and work as a bus boy and waiter at the Parente's Italian restaurant during the day. He would eventually appear on television with band leader Russ David and on other programs including the Charlotte Peters Show. In 1962 Tony signed a six month contract with RCA and released a 45 under it's Groove subsidiary.