Travis_Bickle of course they do. My Nana would have chosen Vic Damone over both of them. But suggesting he rose to the heights he did through some imagined patronage and not his stellar talent is, I’m afraid, unmitigated bollocks…..
He was the man in the right place at the right time and managed to get his voice to be synonymous with Swing. So yeah, he was the greatest if you were in that place at that time and really dug swing. After swing he was the voice for those who wanted to reminisce about swing. I'm guessing you like swing. Me? There were other singers that were more versatile and were sitting on a more interesting body of work.
As for the mob connections, he spent his life making excuses for his proximity to mob events with constant "I was only standing nearby to mobsters when it happened" type excuses. I offer up his friendships with mobsters, his first contract "buyout" immortalised in The Godfather, and all those mob parties where he performed (unwittingly according to him and his agent).
I stand by every word I said. Give me jazz singer over this one trick suit stuffer. He was a better actor.