Lou Monte, born Louis Scaglione on (April 2, 1917 June 12, 1989), was an Italian-American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Records and Reprise Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He also recorded on Roulette Records, Jubilee Records, Regalia Records, Musicor Records, Laurie Records, and AFE Records. Monte's first big hit came in 1954, with the release of his version of "Darktown Strutters' Ball". In 1962, Monte would release his first million-seller, "Pepino, the Italian Mouse". Sung in a pastiche of both Calabrese and English, "Pepino" tells the humorous tale of a mischievous mouse who lives within the walls of a man's kitchen and who comes out at night to eat cheese, drink wine, frighten Lou's girlfriend when she comes over...and befriends the cat, sent out to catch him. The "flip side" of the single featured another Italian-American hybrid novelty song called "What Did Washington Say (When He Crossed The Delaware?)." The song presumes that George Washington was cold, tired, hungry and without a change of underwear on his famous trip.