Richard Bonelli
Toronto Daily Star, February 1 1930
Richard Bonelli (1889-1980) was one of a number of American musicians who changed their name to something more foreign, as he was born George Richard Bunn. He originally started studying engineering at Syracuse University before it became apparent that he had a great singing voice.
He made his singing debut in North America in 1915 and in Europe in 1923, and performed regularly until about the end of the Second World War. After he retired from singing, he became a music teacher in Philadelphia.
There are a number of recordings of him on YouTube. One example is this selection from La Traviata.
Created September 17, 2025.