Tony Orlando and Dawn
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Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was very popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits were "Candida," "Knock Three Times," and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree."
In 1970, Tony Orlando was a failed cover singer. He'd had two Top 40 hits in the early 1960s, but he had not had any further success for the rest of the decade. He stopped singing entirely, publishing music for CBS Records instead.
Orlando discovered a song, "Candida," which he decided to pass on recording. After an insistence that he dub his voice over the male vocals in the original track, he had the single released as performed by "Dawn", so if the record did not succeed, he would not be known as the lead vocalist. The single hit #3, so Tony Orlando decided to change career tracks.
He chose singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to sing with him when he recorded "Knock Three Times." In early 1971, the single hit #1. The group waited until 1973 to release their next single, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree." In terms of sales, this single was the most successful in the group's career.
The group released a fourth single, "Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose," but the sales started to drop off. In order to boost recognition among the public, CBS gave the group a television variety show in the summer of 1974, after The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour ended its run. The show was in the same vein as its predecessor, and became a Top 20 hit. It ran until December 1976, but the group found it difficult to maintain their initial musical success, and they broke up shortly after. Their last hit, a remake of the Sam Cooke song "Cupid", was the group's last Top 40 single.
Orlando is still an appearance performer and Hopkins and Wilson have both made acting careers for themselves.
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[edit] References in popular culture
In the 1976 film Network, Laureen Hobbs (Marlene Warfield) complains about her show being scheduled "up against Tony Orlando and Dawn".
The song "Disco 2000" by Pulp contains the line ' What are you doing Sunday, baby / Would you like to come and meet me, maybe? ', a reference to Dawn's 1973 hit "What Are You Doing Sunday?"
The song "Bitchin' Camaro" by Dead Milkmen contains the lines ' Bitchin’ Camaro, Bitchin' Camaro / Donuts on your lawn / Bitchin' Camaro, Bitchin' Camaro / Tony Orlando and Dawn '.
Yo La Tengo's 2000 album "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out" contains a track titled "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Candida (album) (1970)
- Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando (1971)
- Tuneweaving (1973)
- Dawn's New Ragtime Follies (1973)
- Prime Time (1974)
- Golden Ribbons (1974)
- He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (1975)
- Skybird (1975)
- To Be With You (1976)
[edit] Hit singles
- 1971 "Candida" #3 US (Gold); #9 UK
- 1971 "Knock Three Times" #1 US (Gold); #1 UK
- 1971 "I Play and Sing" #25 US
- 1971 "Summer Sand" #33 US
- 1971 "What are You Doing Sunday" #39 US; #3 UK
- 1972 "Runaway/Happy Together" #79 US
- 1972 "Vaya Con Dios" #95 US
- 1972 "You're A Lady" #70 US
- 1973 "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" #1 US (Gold); #1 UK
- 1973 "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" #3 US (Gold); #12 UK (1974 release)
- 1974 "Who's in the Strawberry Patch with Sally" #27 US; #37 UK
- 1974 "It Only Hurts When I Try To Smile" #81 US
- 1974 "Steppin' Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)" #7 US
- 1975 "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" #1 US
- 1975 "Mornin' Beautiful" #14 US
- 1975 "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman" #11 US
- 1975 "You're All I Need to Get By" #34 US
- 1975 "Skybird" #49 US
- 1976 "Cupid" #22 US
- 1977 "Sing" #58 US
