Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis was born on April 3,1944 and is an American pop singer whose career spans over 60 years.
31 Facts About Tony Orlando
2.
Tony Orlando is best known for his work as part of Tony Orlando and Dawn.
3.
Tony Orlando ended his act there in 2013 and has since continued to perform many live shows as a headliner, mostly in Las Vegas, Nevada.
4.
Michael Anthony Tony Orlando Cassavitis was born on April 3,1944, the son of a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother.
5.
Tony Orlando spent his earliest years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City.
6.
Tony Orlando 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.
7.
Tony Orlando continued as a solo artist and became a producer himself, as well as a successful music executive in the late 1960s.
8.
Tony Orlando was experiencing success, primarily as a music executive, and Davis pretended not to notice when Tony Orlando accepted a $3,000 advance and sang lead vocals on a song called "Candida" as a favor for two producer friends.
9.
Tony Orlando then wanted to go on tour, and asked two other session singers, Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to join for the tour.
10.
Orlando then discovered that there were six touring groups using that name, so Dawn became "Dawn featuring Tony Orlando", which changed to Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1973.
11.
Tony Orlando represented simple, traditional values, a conservative return to pure entertainment.
12.
Tony Orlando drew a happy face in the "O" of his autograph.
13.
Tony Orlando was briefly addicted to cocaine, and battled both obesity and depression.
14.
Tony Orlando was briefly institutionalized, but returned to television with an NBC comeback special.
15.
Tony Orlando continued primarily as a solo singer, performing on tour and regularly in Las Vegas and Branson, Missouri.
16.
Tony Orlando hosted the New York City portions of the MDA Labor Day Telethon on WWOR-TV since the 1980s but quit in 2011 in response to Jerry Lewis' firing from the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
17.
In 2020, Tony Orlando began hosting a Saturday night oldies program for WABC Radio as the New York City station partially restored its music format.
18.
Tony Orlando starred in the 1981 TV movie 300 Miles For Stephanie, playing a police officer who promises to walk over 300 miles to a sanctuary in order to obtain God's help to cure Stephanie, his gravely ill daughter.
19.
In May 1981, Tony Orlando appeared on Broadway in the title role of Barnum, replacing Jim Dale, who was on a three-week vacation.
20.
Tony Orlando had a cameo appearance as himself in the 2002 film Waking Up In Reno, in which he sang a version of "Knock Three Times".
21.
In 2003, Tony Orlando had a recurring role in the children's animated series Oswald, in which he did the voice of "Sammy Starfish".
22.
Tony Orlando appeared in an episode of MADtv doing a sketch involving a court case, where the defense sings to persuade the jury about their side.
23.
Tony Orlando sang for the prosecution, thereby persuading the judge to give the defense jail for life.
24.
Tony Orlando appeared in That's My Boy as Steve Spirou, a Happy Madison production starring Adam Sandler in 2012.
25.
Tony Orlando is a longtime advocate for US military veterans and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" has become an anthem for service members.
26.
Tony Orlando serves on the board of directors for the Eisenhower Foundation, as well as honorary chairman of Snowball Express, an organization that serves the children of fallen military heroes.
27.
Tony Orlando has served as the master of ceremonies at the Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
28.
Tony Orlando was introduced by Jerry Lee Lewis to his future wife, Elaine, who had previously dated Buddy Holly.
29.
Five years later, Tony Orlando was engaged to Francine Amormino, whom he married on April 29,1990.
30.
Tony Orlando was interviewed on The 700 Club explaining that he was raised Catholic and was "brought up with the Lord as my Savior"; but after a self-destructive period following his professional success with Dawn, he became a born-again Christian in 1978.
31.
In 1990, Tony Orlando received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Blvd.