Tony Fontane
Encyclopedia
Tony Fontane was a popular recording artist
in the 1940s and 1950s who, following a near-fatal car accident in 1957, gave up his popular career to pursue one as a gospel singer
. Thanks to his high, clear tenor voice and unrelenting sense of purpose, he became one of the world's most famous gospel singers, performing in concert halls and churches around the globe and recording many quality albums for RCA
.
, the son of Joseph and Raphaella Trankina. His father, a railroad worker for the Michigan Central Railroad
, converted to Christianity
in 1929 and a few years later moved the family to Grand Forks, North Dakota
, where he operated a mission
. The family lived in poverty, and young Tony Trankina grew up despising the mission and its work. It was during this time that he developed a strong hatred for all things religious, a hatred that later developed into full-fledged atheism
.
From an early age he showed an interest in singing. He became so accomplished that he frequently sang in church services at the mission and, while still in high school, won the Dakota State Achievement award in a vocal contest. He was offered a musical scholarship with the state university, but Tony—exhibiting the powerful urge to escape his surroundings—ran off with a dance band wearing a mascara mustache to disguise his age. Six weeks after a statewide alarm was issued, the youth was returned home.
to live with an aunt, and it was here that he tried unsuccessfully to break into show business while still in high school. But World War II
beckoned, and at 17 he lied about his age to join the Coast Guard
. After the war, he assumed the stage name of Tony Fontane and hit the streets of New York
looking for work as a singer, but success was slow in coming and the young man nearly starved. Persistence, and his soaring, lyric tenor voice, snagged him a spot on the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour
, which he handily won. Fontane became an instant sensation and was one of only two performers on the Amateur Hour to ever be called back for an encore – the first being Frank Sinatra
.
Moving once more to Chicago, Fontane enjoyed great success on television shows such as "Teen Town", "The Tony Fontane Show", and "Top Tunes With Trendler". He appeared on the shows of Ed Sullivan
, Steve Allen
, Paul Whiteman
, and Eddie Bracken
, and became a sought-after nightclub and Las Vegas act. A recording contract with Mercury Records
led to his hit single, "Cold, Cold, Heart" (Mercury 5693) in November 1951. While Tony Bennett
took the song to #1 on the pop chart that year, Fontane's version of the song reached #28 on the Hit Parade, surpassing the version by Hank Williams, who wrote the song.
Fontane married actress Kerry Vaughn on May 2, 1950 and toured with her in Australia
in the musical comedy, "Zip Goes a Million
". Vaughn, a golden-haired beauty who once performed as a stand-in for Lana Turner
and appeared in the now cult classic "Prehistoric Women
" became known in Australia as a second Marilyn Monroe
. She and Fontane were enormously popular abroad and appeared on the covers of many magazines. The couple had a daughter, Char Fontane
(born January 12, 1952; died April 1, 2007).
and was driving to his home in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
, when another motorist ran a red light and plowed into the driver’s side of Fontane’s sports car. It took rescue workers more than 2½ hours to extricate the singer from his vehicle; one person on the scene took his pulse and declared that he was dead. He was, in fact, alive—just barely—and was rushed to the hospital where he hovered in a coma, on the brink of death, for 30 days. His injuries included two broken legs, a crushed chest, massive head injuries, broken ribs, cracked vertabrae, and severe internal injuries.
Fontane later wrote that while he was in his coma, he had a vision that God
came to him and offered him one more chance. When he came out of his coma, Fontane not only gave up his atheism but converted to Christianity. When he abandoned his popular career and refused to sing anything other than gospel music, he was sued by the William Morris Agency
for breach of contract and lost everything.
Fontane continued his brutal performance schedule throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, even traveling several times to Vietnam
to sing for American troops stationed there. He also performed for four U.S. Presidents—Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. But his life began to unravel in 1973 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer
and given only a year to live. Despite undergoing several unsuccessful operations, he continued to sing. Four days before his death, he went to an Orange County, California, church where two men—one on each side of him—helped stand him up for his last concert. He sang “Just As I Am.” Two days later his pancreas ruptured and he was rushed to a Canoga Park hospital.
On June 30, 1974, Fontane died at the age of 48. His funeral at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
was attended by upwards of 10,000 people.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
in the 1940s and 1950s who, following a near-fatal car accident in 1957, gave up his popular career to pursue one as a gospel singer
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Thanks to his high, clear tenor voice and unrelenting sense of purpose, he became one of the world's most famous gospel singers, performing in concert halls and churches around the globe and recording many quality albums for RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
.
Early life
He was born Anthony Trankina on September 18, 1925 in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, the son of Joseph and Raphaella Trankina. His father, a railroad worker for the Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
, converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in 1929 and a few years later moved the family to Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, where he operated a mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
. The family lived in poverty, and young Tony Trankina grew up despising the mission and its work. It was during this time that he developed a strong hatred for all things religious, a hatred that later developed into full-fledged atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
From an early age he showed an interest in singing. He became so accomplished that he frequently sang in church services at the mission and, while still in high school, won the Dakota State Achievement award in a vocal contest. He was offered a musical scholarship with the state university, but Tony—exhibiting the powerful urge to escape his surroundings—ran off with a dance band wearing a mascara mustache to disguise his age. Six weeks after a statewide alarm was issued, the youth was returned home.
Popular career
He was allowed to move to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to live with an aunt, and it was here that he tried unsuccessfully to break into show business while still in high school. But World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
beckoned, and at 17 he lied about his age to join the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. After the war, he assumed the stage name of Tony Fontane and hit the streets of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
looking for work as a singer, but success was slow in coming and the young man nearly starved. Persistence, and his soaring, lyric tenor voice, snagged him a spot on the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour
Major Bowes Amateur Hour
Major Bowes Amateur Hour, American radio's best-known talent show, was one of the most popular programs broadcast in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s...
, which he handily won. Fontane became an instant sensation and was one of only two performers on the Amateur Hour to ever be called back for an encore – the first being Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
.
Moving once more to Chicago, Fontane enjoyed great success on television shows such as "Teen Town", "The Tony Fontane Show", and "Top Tunes With Trendler". He appeared on the shows of Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
, Steve Allen
Steve Allen (comedian)
Stephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent...
, Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
, and Eddie Bracken
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...
, and became a sought-after nightclub and Las Vegas act. A recording contract with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
led to his hit single, "Cold, Cold, Heart" (Mercury 5693) in November 1951. While Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
took the song to #1 on the pop chart that year, Fontane's version of the song reached #28 on the Hit Parade, surpassing the version by Hank Williams, who wrote the song.
Fontane married actress Kerry Vaughn on May 2, 1950 and toured with her in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the musical comedy, "Zip Goes a Million
Zip Goes a Million
Zip Goes a Million is a musical with a book and lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by George Posford, based on the 1902 novel Brewster's Millions. It premiered in London in 1951, starring George Formby, and ran for 544 performances.-Synopsis:Act I...
". Vaughn, a golden-haired beauty who once performed as a stand-in for Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
and appeared in the now cult classic "Prehistoric Women
Prehistoric Women
Prehistoric Women is a 1950 science fiction adventure film, written and directed by Gregg C. Tallas and starring Laurette Luez and Allan Nixon. It also features Joan Shawlee, Judy Landon, and Mara Lynn. Released by Alliance Productions, this independent film was also titled The Virgin Goddess...
" became known in Australia as a second Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
. She and Fontane were enormously popular abroad and appeared on the covers of many magazines. The couple had a daughter, Char Fontane
Char Fontane
Char "Kaci" Fontane was an American actress and singer.Born as Kerry Charae Fontane in Los Angeles, to singer Tony Fontane and his wife, actress Kerry Vaughn Fontane....
(born January 12, 1952; died April 1, 2007).
Near-death experience and conversion
On the afternoon of September 3, 1957, Fontane finished a rehearsal for a television special at NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and was driving to his home in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles....
, when another motorist ran a red light and plowed into the driver’s side of Fontane’s sports car. It took rescue workers more than 2½ hours to extricate the singer from his vehicle; one person on the scene took his pulse and declared that he was dead. He was, in fact, alive—just barely—and was rushed to the hospital where he hovered in a coma, on the brink of death, for 30 days. His injuries included two broken legs, a crushed chest, massive head injuries, broken ribs, cracked vertabrae, and severe internal injuries.
Fontane later wrote that while he was in his coma, he had a vision that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
came to him and offered him one more chance. When he came out of his coma, Fontane not only gave up his atheism but converted to Christianity. When he abandoned his popular career and refused to sing anything other than gospel music, he was sued by the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
for breach of contract and lost everything.
Gospel career
Once again living in extreme poverty, Fontane made the rounds of churches asking to sing for them. Fontane got his break in the gospel music industry when Phil Kerr, organizer of the Monday Night Musicals at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, asked him to perform in concert, and from that moment on Fontane was one of the busiest gospel singers in the world. He recorded albums, made a film about his life's story, performed in churches, civic auditoriums, schools, military bases and concert halls, rarely turning down an invitation.Fontane continued his brutal performance schedule throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, even traveling several times to Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
to sing for American troops stationed there. He also performed for four U.S. Presidents—Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. But his life began to unravel in 1973 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and given only a year to live. Despite undergoing several unsuccessful operations, he continued to sing. Four days before his death, he went to an Orange County, California, church where two men—one on each side of him—helped stand him up for his last concert. He sang “Just As I Am.” Two days later his pancreas ruptured and he was rushed to a Canoga Park hospital.
On June 30, 1974, Fontane died at the age of 48. His funeral at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
was attended by upwards of 10,000 people.