Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis, aka Tony Orlando, was born in New York on April 3, 1944. Born to a Greek father, Leo Cassivitis, and a Puerto Rican mother, Ruth Schroeder, Tony spent his early years in Hell's Kitchen, New York . The family moved to Union City, New Jersey in her teens, and later to Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Tony Orlando's musical career began in the 1960s as a successful singer, producer and music executive with "Columbia Records". In 1970, while working as a music executive, he was offered the song "Candida", a song that other producers and singers had turned down. Due to a professional conflict of interest with the production companies, Tony Orlando released the single under the name "Dawn". The song was sung by Tony Orlando with vocal support from Cynthia Weil, Linda November, Jay Siegel and Toni Wine, who had written the song. The single "Candida" peaked at #3 on the "Billboard Hot 100" and #1 on the "Cashbox Top 100". He later recorded the single "Knock Three Times", which itself became a smash hit. In 1971, Tony Orlando asked former Motown Records backers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to join the Dawn group for a European tour. The group, called "Dawn featuring Tony Orlando", in 1973 released the new single "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" which in terms of sales was the group's most successful. In 1974, "CBS" proposed to Tony Orlando to air their television variety show called "Tony Orlando and Dawn". After signing a new contract with the record label "Elektra", the group continued their hit singles streak by again reaching #1 on the Hot 100 with the song "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You )" (a reworking of Jerry Butler's "He Will Break Your Heart”). In 1977 the "Dawn" disbanded and each of the members took a different path. In 1978, Tony Orlando released his first solo album under the label "Elektra". The single from the album "Don’t Let Go" will become one of the most danced and used songs by DJs in all American and European clubs.
Album
1971 - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
1973 - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - Dawn's New Ragtime Follies
1973 - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - Tuneweaving
1975 - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - Knock Three Times & Candida
1978 - Tony Orlando - Tony Orlando
1979 - Tony Orlando - I Got Rhythm
1980 - Tony Orlando - Livin' For The Music
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