Tony Orlando and Dawn
Encyclopedia
Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music
group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida
", "Knock Three Times
", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
", and "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
".
was born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis in April 1944.
After almost a decade of singing and with only three Top 40 hits, two in 1961 and another in 1969 as the lead singer for the studio group Wind, he had not had any further successes. He stopped singing entirely, and by 1970 he was a retired cover
singer. He began publishing music for April-Blackwood Music, a division of Columbia Records
, instead.
A song was given to Orlando titled "Candida
," and was brought to him after being turned down by other producers and singers. Orlando was not able to originally lend his name to the song as he was working for April-Blackwood, and recording under his own name would be a professional conflict of interest
. After an insistence by producer Hank Medress
that he dub his voice over the male vocals on the original track, the single was released on Bell Records as being performed by the band "Dawn" in order to protect his position.
The background singers on the track were Sharon Greane, Linda November
, Jay Siegel, and Toni Wine
, who co-wrote the song. Phil Margo played drums on the original session and the arranger was Norman Bergen
. After the single hit #3 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart (#1 on the Cashbox Top 100), Orlando wanted to start performing again. Together as the new band they then recorded the follow-up song "Knock Three Times
" which also became to a major hit.
Bell Records
, who distributed the single, was desperate to have a real-life act to promote "Dawn"'s records. Tony asked former Motown/Stax backing vocalists Telma Hopkins
and Joyce Vincent Wilson
to become Dawn. They then went on the road after "Candida" climbed the charts and "Knock Three Times" followed, eventually hitting #1 in early 1971. After a tour of Europe, Telma and Joyce assumed background vocal duties in the studio as well. They were joined in the studio by Joyce's sister Pamela Vincent who in addition to singing arranged all the backing vocals. Prior touring commitments with Aretha Franklin
prevented Pamela from appearing with Dawn on tour. The first single with their voices in the background was "Runaway/Happy Together" in 1972.
The group (now billed as 'Dawn featuring Tony Orlando') released another single in 1973 and it almost immediately became their next #1 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.
" (from their concept album Dawn's New Ragtime Follies
) went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 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 (with sketches featuring sarcastic back-and-forth banter between Orlando with Hopkins and Wilson, similar to the sarcastic dialogue between Sonny and Cher), and became a Top 20 hit. It ran until December 1976.
With a new name ("Tony Orlando and Dawn") and a new record label (Elektra
), the group continued their string of hit singles during the show's run hitting the Top 10 on the Hot 100 and/or adult contemporary
charts including "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
" (a reworking of Jerry Butler
's "He Will Break Your Heart") which went to #1. A remake of the Sam Cooke
song "Cupid
", was the group's last Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. "Sing" reached #7 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1977 and was the last Tony Orlando & Dawn single until 1991's "With Ev'ry Yellow Ribbon (That's Why We Tie 'Em)". The group went their separate ways later in 1977.
Orlando is still a popular appearance performer on tour regularly with the Lefty Brothers and Toni Wine. Hopkins made a very successful acting career for herself in series like Bosom Buddies
, Gimme a Break, Family Matters, and Half and Half
. Joyce and Pamela Vincent continue a prolific career as session singers. A DVD compilation from the variety series was released in 2005 along with the group's catalog of albums on CD. Tony Orlando & Dawn released A Christmas Reunion that same year. Publicity events for those releases marked the first time Telma, Joyce, and Pamela appeared onstage together. Toni Wine also participated in those shows. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2008. Tony Orlando & Dawn occasionally reunites for television and benefit performances. In 2009 Joyce Vincent joined Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence's, Former Ladies of The Supremes'
group. She continues to tour and perform to enthusiastic audiences all over the world.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida
Candida (song)
"Candida" was the first single released under the name Dawn, later to become Tony Orlando and Dawn, in August 1970. It was written by Toni Wine and Irwin Levine, produced by Dave Appell with Hank Medress, Phil Margo, Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel of The Tokens, and arranged by Norman Bergen. The...
", "Knock Three Times
Knock Three Times
"Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited to Tony Orlando and Dawn. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. The song was released as a single in November 1970, paired with Orlando's other...
", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
", and "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
"He Don't Love You " is the title of a popular song sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn that was a number-one song in the United States during the year 1975. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 3, 1975, and remained there for three weeks.The song also went to #1 on the U.S...
".
History
Tony OrlandoTony Orlando
Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
was born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis in April 1944.
After almost a decade of singing and with only three Top 40 hits, two in 1961 and another in 1969 as the lead singer for the studio group Wind, he had not had any further successes. He stopped singing entirely, and by 1970 he was a retired cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
singer. He began publishing music for April-Blackwood Music, a division of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, instead.
A song was given to Orlando titled "Candida
Candida (song)
"Candida" was the first single released under the name Dawn, later to become Tony Orlando and Dawn, in August 1970. It was written by Toni Wine and Irwin Levine, produced by Dave Appell with Hank Medress, Phil Margo, Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel of The Tokens, and arranged by Norman Bergen. The...
," and was brought to him after being turned down by other producers and singers. Orlando was not able to originally lend his name to the song as he was working for April-Blackwood, and recording under his own name would be a professional conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
. After an insistence by producer Hank Medress
Hank Medress
-Biography:Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, where in 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, which also included Neil Sedaka. After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with additional singers as The Tokens...
that he dub his voice over the male vocals on the original track, the single was released on Bell Records as being performed by the band "Dawn" in order to protect his position.
The background singers on the track were Sharon Greane, Linda November
Linda November
Linda Ellen November is an American singer who sang tens of thousands of commercial jingles. She was the voice of the singing cat in the Meow Mix commercials, sang the jingle "Galaxy Glue" in the 1981 film The Incredible Shrinking Woman, the "Coke and a Smile" jingle in the classic Mean Joe Greene...
, Jay Siegel, and Toni Wine
Toni Wine
Toni Wine is an American pop music songwriter, who wrote songs for such artists as The Mindbenders , Tony Orlando and Dawn , Elvis Presley, and Checkmates Ltd. in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, who co-wrote the song. Phil Margo played drums on the original session and the arranger was Norman Bergen
Norman Bergen
Norman Bergen is an American pianist, music arranger, record producer, band leader, musical director, and vocalist.- Early years:...
. After the single hit #3 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart (#1 on the Cashbox Top 100), Orlando wanted to start performing again. Together as the new band they then recorded the follow-up song "Knock Three Times
Knock Three Times
"Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited to Tony Orlando and Dawn. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. The song was released as a single in November 1970, paired with Orlando's other...
" which also became to a major hit.
Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
, who distributed the single, was desperate to have a real-life act to promote "Dawn"'s records. Tony asked former Motown/Stax backing vocalists Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
and Joyce Vincent Wilson
Joyce Vincent Wilson
Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, most famous for being one-third of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn...
to become Dawn. They then went on the road after "Candida" climbed the charts and "Knock Three Times" followed, eventually hitting #1 in early 1971. After a tour of Europe, Telma and Joyce assumed background vocal duties in the studio as well. They were joined in the studio by Joyce's sister Pamela Vincent who in addition to singing arranged all the backing vocals. Prior touring commitments with Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
prevented Pamela from appearing with Dawn on tour. The first single with their voices in the background was "Runaway/Happy Together" in 1972.
The group (now billed as 'Dawn featuring Tony Orlando') released another single in 1973 and it almost immediately became their next #1 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.
Period of group's variety show
The group's next single, "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy RoseSay, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose
"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" is a 1973 song by the American pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. The song was written by Irwin Levine and L...
" (from their concept album Dawn's New Ragtime Follies
Dawn's New Ragtime Follies
Dawn's New Ragtime Follies is a 1973 album by the American pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn.-Track listing:#"Overture" #"Steppin' Out, I'm Gonna Boogie Tonight" #"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose"...
) went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. CBS gave the group a television variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
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 (with sketches featuring sarcastic back-and-forth banter between Orlando with Hopkins and Wilson, similar to the sarcastic dialogue between Sonny and Cher), and became a Top 20 hit. It ran until December 1976.
With a new name ("Tony Orlando and Dawn") and a new record label (Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
), the group continued their string of hit singles during the show's run hitting the Top 10 on the Hot 100 and/or adult contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts including "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
"He Don't Love You " is the title of a popular song sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn that was a number-one song in the United States during the year 1975. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 3, 1975, and remained there for three weeks.The song also went to #1 on the U.S...
" (a reworking of Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
's "He Will Break Your Heart") which went to #1. A remake of the Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
song "Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
", was the group's last Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. "Sing" reached #7 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1977 and was the last Tony Orlando & Dawn single until 1991's "With Ev'ry Yellow Ribbon (That's Why We Tie 'Em)". The group went their separate ways later in 1977.
Later career
They reformed in 1988 for a five-week tour that wound up lasting into 1993 with Pamela finally becoming a visible Dawn member stepping in whenever Telma was fulfilling her television obligations.Orlando is still a popular appearance performer on tour regularly with the Lefty Brothers and Toni Wine. Hopkins made a very successful acting career for herself in series like Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies is an American sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC and in reruns in the summer of 1984 on NBC....
, Gimme a Break, Family Matters, and Half and Half
Half and half
Half and half refers to various beverages or liquid foods made of an equal-parts mixture of two substances, including dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks...
. Joyce and Pamela Vincent continue a prolific career as session singers. A DVD compilation from the variety series was released in 2005 along with the group's catalog of albums on CD. Tony Orlando & Dawn released A Christmas Reunion that same year. Publicity events for those releases marked the first time Telma, Joyce, and Pamela appeared onstage together. Toni Wine also participated in those shows. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2008. Tony Orlando & Dawn occasionally reunites for television and benefit performances. In 2009 Joyce Vincent joined Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence's, Former Ladies of The Supremes'
Former Ladies of the Supremes
The Former Ladies of the Supremes, or FLOS, is a singing group that was formed by former Supremes members Jean Terrell, Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne, in 1986...
group. She continues to tour and perform to enthusiastic audiences all over the world.
Albums
- CandidaCandida (album)-2005 CD edition:In 2005, a 25th anniversary compilation was released featuring the original track listing plus nine bonus tracks.-Production:*Arranged by Norman Bergen*Produced by Hank Medress, Phil & Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel*Engineered by Billy Radice...
(1970) - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando (1971)
- Tuneweaving (1973)
- Dawn's New Ragtime FolliesDawn's New Ragtime FolliesDawn's New Ragtime Follies is a 1973 album by the American pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn.-Track listing:#"Overture" #"Steppin' Out, I'm Gonna Boogie Tonight" #"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose"...
(1973) - Tie a Yellow Ribbon (1973)
- Prime Time (1974)
- Candida & Knock Three Times (1974)
- Tony Orlando & Dawn II (1974)
- Golden Ribbons (1974)
- Greatest Hits (1975)
- He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (1975)
- Skybird (1975)
- To Be With You (1976)
- The World of Tony Orlando & Dawn (1976)
- Christmas Reunion (2005)
Hit singles
- 1970 "Candida" #3 US (Gold); #9 UK; #8 AC
- 1970 "Knock Three TimesKnock Three Times"Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited to Tony Orlando and Dawn. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. The song was released as a single in November 1970, paired with Orlando's other...
" b/ Home #1 US (Gold); #1 UK; # 2 AC - 1971 "I Play and Sing" #25 US; #15 AC
- 1971 "Summer Sand" #33 US; # 9 AC
- 1971 "What Are You Doing Sunday" #39 US; #3 UK; # 23 AC
- 1972 "Runaway/Happy Together" #79 US
- 1972 "Vaya con DiosVaya con Dios (song)"Vaya con Dios" is a popular song written by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953....
" #95 US; #37 AC - 1972 "You're a Lady" #70 US
- 1973 "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" #1 US (Gold); #1 UK; #1 AC
- 1973 "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy RoseSay, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose"Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" is a 1973 song by the American pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. The song was written by Irwin Levine and L...
" #3 US (Gold); #12 UK (1974 release); #1 AC - 1974 "Who's in the Strawberry Patch with Sally" #27 US; #37 UK; #3 AC
- 1974 "It Only Hurts When I Try To Smile" b/w She Can't Hold A Candle To You" #81 US; #36 AC
- 1974 "Steppin' Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)" #7 US; #4 AC
- 1975 "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman" #11 US; #6 AC
- 1975 "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"He Don't Love You " is the title of a popular song sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn that was a number-one song in the United States during the year 1975. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 3, 1975, and remained there for three weeks.The song also went to #1 on the U.S...
" b/w "Pick It Up" #1 US; #1 AC - 1975 "Mornin' Beautiful" b/w "Dance Rosie Dance" #14 US; #2 AC
- 1975 "You're All I Need to Get ByYou're All I Need to Get By"You're All I Need to Get By" is a song recorded by the American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and released on Motown Records' Tamla label in 1968. It was the basis for the 1995 single "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" from Method Man and Mary J...
" b/w "I Know You Like A Book" (non-LP track) #34 US; #13 AC - 1975 "Skybird" b/w "That's The Way A Wallflower Grows" #49 US; #7 AC
- 1976 "Cupid" b/w "You're Growing On Me" #22 US; #2 AC
- 1976 "Midnight Love Affair" b/w "Selfish One" #15 AC
- 1977 "Sing" b/w "Sweet As Candy" (non-LP track) #58 US; #7 AC