Tony Orlando

Tony Orlando (born 3 April 1944) is an American singer best known for his time with the group Dawn in the early 1970s. Born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, he was raised in Manhattan's then-notorious Hell's Kitchen. His best friend was Freddie Prinze (who was of Puerto Rican and German descent).[citation needed] Tony Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed. His first success came when he recorded the hit “Halfway To Paradise”. After becoming general manager at Columbia Records, he was tempted back to a recording career when he was asked to record a demo record of “Candida”. The label liked the demo so much that Tony's performance was released, under the band name “Dawn” (named after a record executive's daughter). Joining Tony were Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson, and the trio scored a string of #1 hits with “Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree”, “Knock Three Times”, and “Candida”. With a successful recording career, Orlando then set his sights on television which resulted in his highly rated weekly variety series on CBS. Breaking new ground, it was television's first multi-ethnic variety show. Orlando (of Hispanic and Greek origins) and Hopkins and Wilson (African Americans) were an instant hit. The show, which ran for four seasons (from 1974 to 1976), welcomed the biggest names in show business each week as Tony's guests, including his boyhood idols, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Lewis.