Music Monday
Driller chose this week's theme:
In honor of our middle grand daughter’s 21st birthday (April 16) build a play list of artists born in April.
Well, Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis, now known as Tony Orlando, was born on April 3, 1944 in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. His heritage is Greek and Puerto Rican.
Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed in 1959 at age 15, with whom he recorded demo tapes. He got the attention of music publisher and producer Don Kirshner, who hired him to write songs in an office across from New York's Brill Building, along with Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Toni Wine, Barry Mann, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, and Tom and Jerry, who didn't make it in the office until they changed their name to Simon and Garfunkel. (The Brill must have been a really interesting place to work.)
By the late 1960s, Orlando had worked his way up to vice president of CBS Music, where he signed, co-wrote with and produced Barry Manilow and worked with James Taylor, the Grateful Dead, Laura Nyro and other artists. But his real fame came when he became front man for Dawn -- later Tony Orlando and Dawn.
Drew and I were fortunate to see a Tony Orlando and Dawn reunion concert in December 2018. I wrote about it here.
So let's play some of Tony's biggest hits.
"Candida"
Robin,
ReplyDeleteTony Orlando is one year and one day older than my mother. :) How cool! I loved watching the Tony Orlando and Dawn TV show in the 70s. It was great to read a little about his music career. I remember the popularity of "Knock Three Times". I don't think I've ever seen Tony without a mustache. I think I like him better with a mustache. He seems like a such a likeable fella. You put together some of his more familiar tunes up today which had me chair boogieing. I loved all of your songs! Thanks for filling me with such giddy, happy mood this morning. Have a boogietastic week, my dear!
My pleasure, Cathy. And yes, I agree with you about the mustache.
DeleteWho wouldn't want to work in the Brill Building with that kind of talent in the room. I find it very interesting that Tony had a successful musical career as an executive before he took the performance stage. Thanks for sharing his story and music this day.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. It's a great theme this week.
DeleteI could have used Tony Orlando for my post! (face plant). I can identify so much with Knock Three Times, having grown up in a NYC apartment building. Tony was performing at a senior gated community in Palm Beach County when we visited relatives at a different community back in January, 2019. We didn't go, though - guess we missed out. (I understand he goes down there and performs nearly every year - I understand they call it the "condo circuit".) Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.
ReplyDeleteI can just see you knocking on the ceiling...
DeleteTony Orlando was a staple of my youth. What a nice tribute here.
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