Salvatore Basile

(Visit at www.salvatorebasile.com)

Salvatore Basile has worn many hats--as an actor, dog walker, furniture refinisher, opera singer, produce trimmer, magazine columnist, decorative painter, and (for exactly one night) private cook. Now he writes.

A native of Syracuse, he came to New York as a refugee from the Boston Conservatory and tried the theater, landing in the original company of the Off-Broadway musical "Hijinks." A season with a Gilbert and Sullivan troupe led to a singing career and performances of over 90 opera and concert roles, including three world premieres. In between, he entered the writing field with a three-year stint for Classical Singer magazine, penning the column "Things I Promised Not to Tell."

A call from St. Patrick's Cathedral for a last-minute replacement led to his singing a single concert. That led to a full-time position with the Cathedral Choir and its cantorial staff. That led to an appointment as the Cathedral's first Music Historian. And THAT led to "Fifth Avenue Famous," his first book.

Now, in a complete non sequitur, he follows up with "COOL: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything."