Enrico Caruso
1873-1921 · Italian (Naples/New York) · Opera / Early Recording
Known for: The first great recording star whose voice on gramophone records made opera a mass-market phenomenon
Caruso grew up in Neapolitan poverty (one of 21 children, most dying in infancy). His voice was uniquely suited to early recording technology and he became the first musician whose fame was built primarily through recordings. He was the star of the Metropolitan Opera for 18 consecutive seasons.
He survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, was a gifted caricaturist, and died at 48 of pleurisy.
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