Born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents, Andy Russell, who took his professional name from one of his idols, Russ Columbo, acheived his greatest U.S. popularity in the 1940s. As with Columbo and Bing Crosby before him, he started out singing with Gus Arnheim's orchestra at the Cocoanut Grove, but, at only 13, he was so young that Arnheim had to become his legal guardian to permit him to travel out of state. Possessed of a romantic baritone voice, he sang songs in English and Spanish, his biggest hit being "Besame Mucho" (Capitol: 1945). In the early 1950s, he re-located to Mexico, where he remained a major star until his death. He remained a U.S. citizen, however, and still made appearences in the U.S. from time to time.