Tony Orlando
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Tony Orlando (born April 3, 1944) is an American singer best known for his time with the group Dawn in the early 1970s.
Born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, he was raised in Manhattan's then-notorious "Hell's Kitchen". His best friend was Freddie Prinze (who was of Puerto Rican and Hungarian descent). [citation needed]
Tony Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed. His first success came when he recorded the hit Halfway To Paradise. After becoming general manager at Columbia Records, he was tempted back to a recording career when he was asked to record a demo record of Candida. The label liked the demo so much that Tony's performance was released, under the band name "Dawn" (named after a record executive's daughter).
Joining Tony were Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson, and the trio scored a string of #1 hits with Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree Knock Three Times and Candida. With a successful recording career, Orlando then set his sights on television which resulted in his highly rated weekly variety series on CBS. Breaking new ground, it was television's first multi-ethnic variety show. Orlando (of Hispanic and Greek origins) and Hopkins and Wilson (African Americans) were an instant hit. The show, which ran for four seasons (from 1974–1976), welcomed the biggest names in show business each week as Tony's guests, including his boyhood idols, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Lewis.
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[edit] Albums
[edit] Solo Hit Singles
- "Halfway To Paradise" (1961) US #39
- "Bless You" (1961) US #15
- "Happy Times (Are Here To Stay)" (1961) US #82
- "Sweets For My Sweet" (1979) US #54
NOTE: Orlando also recorded with the studio group Wind in 1969 and had a #28 hit that year with "Make Believe."
[edit] Tony Orlando in popular culture
During the "Marge on the Lam" episode of the animated series The Simpsons, recurring character Troy McClure, while emceeing a public television marathon, opens with a version of his familiar catchphrase by stating: "Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You might remember me from such telethons as "Out with Gout '88" and "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House."
"Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" later inspired the title of a song by the Hoboken, New Jersey, indie rock band, Yo La Tengo, which was released on the band's 2000 album And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.
