The Gaylords

1950s American Vocal Trio

The Gaylords were an American singing trio, consisting of Ronald L. Fredianelli (who changed his name for performances to Ronnie Gaylord, taken from the group name), Bonaldo Bonaldi (who also, in 1976, changed his name to Burt Holiday, at which time the group became Gaylord & Holiday), and Don Rea (who had left the group by the time it became Gaylord & Holiday). Fredianelli was born on June 12, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan. They formed the Gaylords (originally The Gay Lords) in Detroit in 1949. In the 1950s the group had a number of Italian-flavored hits on the charts, often consisting of a song partly sung in Italian and partly in English. Their most successful release was "Tell Me You're Mine," which had sold over one million copies by 1958. The song was written in 1939 and originally entitled "Per un bacio d'amor". "Tell Me You're Mine" reached #3 in the US chart. As Gaylord & Holiday, the two remaining members of the group continued to perform until 2003. Fredianelli died on January 25, 2004 in Reno, Nevada. Bonaldi is still alive and performing with Ron Gaylord, Jr., Ronnie Gaylord's oldest son.