Singer Rosemary Clooney, just off two sold-out shows at Feinstein's at the Regency, appears at Patsy's Italian Restaurant on West 56th Street this evening for a private book signing party. Clooney's engaging autobiography, "Girl Singer," was written with Joan Barthel and is published by Doubleday. "Girl Singer" recounts Clooney's early career, her marriage to Jose Ferrer, the raising of her five children, her 1968 breakdown, the rebuilding of her career -- including working with Bing Crosby, and Four Girls Four -- her successful cabaret shows, and her numerous recordings with Concord Jazz, which have further established her as an American music legend.

The book offers numerous musical, film and theater references that create an unusual, first hand portrait of American entertainers in this century, as well as personal remembrances. For instance, the selection of Patsy's Italian Restaurant for the book signing can be traced back to when the restaurant became a favorite of Frank Sinatra's and other entertainers after it opened in 1944. Back then, owners Patsy and Concetta Scognamillo would often support musicians in tough times. At one point, Clooney said, they allowed her to run a tab for four months.

-- By Murdoch McBride