Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 4:21 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
August 6-7, 2005
Who: Tony Orlando.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Aug. 14.
Where: Orleans Showroom.
Tickets: $44.95.
Information: 365-7075.
Tony Orlando has lived in Las Vegas for nearly 30 years, but his career has spanned the globe.
Fans well remember youthful Tony Orlando and Dawn as TV stars and hitmakers of the '70s. Their string of hits reads like an old K-Tel commercial: "Candida," "Knock Three Times," "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree," "Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose?" "Steppin' Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)," "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You.)"
All of those songs were top-10 hits. "Knock Three Times," "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" and "He Don't Love You" went to No. 1, and "Yellow Ribbon" was the highest-selling single in the world in 1973, according to the Billboard charts.
But even before his affiliation with Dawn, Orlando had a fairly long history in the music business. He began his career as a performer in 1961 at age 16, releasing three hits -- "Halfway to Paradise," "Bless You" and "Happy Times (Are Here to Stay)" -- written by Carole King and produced by Don Kirshner. He also worked in promotion, and in 1967 was named manager of April-Blackwood Music, the publishing arm of Columbia Records.
Three years later he recorded "Candida" and soon teamed with Detroit-based singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent full-time as Tony Orlando and Dawn. "Candida" was the first in a line of hits, which led to "The Tony Orlando and Dawn" variety show. The hourlong program featured a veritable cavalcade of stars, including cast member George Carlin and a guest list that ranged from Alice Cooper to Fred MacMurray. The show ran from 1974 to 1976.
Soon after, Orlando announced the end of Tony Orlando and Dawn -- Orlando's decision came soon after the death of his sister, and the suicide of gifted comic and close friend Freddie Prinze.
A brief battle (Orlando puts the period at nine months) with cocaine addiction followed. Orlando recovered and settled into a steady performance schedule in Branson, Mo. While headlining there he became entangled in a legal battle with Wayne Newton, a friend of Orlando's for decades.
Allegations were lofted by both camps, with Newton claiming Orlando did not live up to his financial obligations while the two were performing at the Talk of the T.O.W.N. Theatre, which was being operated by Newton's White Eagle Inc. Orlando countered that Newton wrongfully booted him from the theater, and each side filed multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the other.
The case was settled out of court in the spring of 2001, and both sides signed a gag order pertaining to the lawsuits.
These days Orlando, 59, remains a busy and energetic performer who is looking forward to the release of a Christmas CD he recorded this year with Hopkins and Vincent. From Thursday through Sunday he'll again appear onstage in Las Vegas, at the Orleans Showroom.
He was interviewed over the phone last week from his Las Vegas home:
Las Vegas Sun: You're feeling at home in Las Vegas these days? You haven't always spent a lot of time here.
Tony Orlando: That's right, but I've been a resident since 1976 -- I'm a longtime resident, and I think it's great. America's all about growth and prospering and that's what Las Vegas is all about, too.
Sun: Are these the best times in Vegas?
T.O. Everyone talks about the good old days, when they get older. You always say it was a lot better back then. But these are great times for entertainment in Las Vegas. I went to see Elton John the other night and he just blew my socks off. And I remember years ago making a prediction that Elton and Paul McCartney, those types of performers, would be working steadily in this town. They thought I was crazy when I said that, but here we are.
Sun: You turned out to be prophetic, at least about Elton John.
T.O. Careers normalize and entertainers go where the flow is. The greatest entertainment city for guys like them is now here, for the Eltons and Rod Stewarts. The instinct in me says that this is right, and it's great to see it here. You can see me at the Orleans, Elton, Barry (Manilow), Wayne (Newton), and then "Mystere," which is completely different.
Sun: Well, since you brought up that name, have you been able to mend fences with Wayne Newton?
T.O.: No comment there.
Sun: Let's talk about Dawn, then. You've got some projects with them again, right?
T.O.: It's a great thing for us. We got together with the R2 company, which puts out the Johnny Carson DVDs and many others, and made a prideful collection of the shows over the show's entire run. So now we have this entire body of work that I love so much.
While we were in the process of doing that, we noticed that none of these albums from that era have been put on CD. So now, the original six albums are back. Then we were being asked, "Why didn't you guys ever do a Christmas album?" It would have been so natural, but we never did do that.
Sun: Why not?
T.O. The thing was, with the TV show schedule, we were doing singles only. It was a singles world back then, so (recording a Christmas album) was an oversight. We were taping TV shows at the time we would have been recording a Christmas album -- that interfered.
Sun: When you first walked into the studio and you're Tony Orlando and Dawn again, what was that like?
T.O.: You're talking about three people who love each other so much, who are all in their fifth decade of making music. It was powerful. Think about this: Make believe that you get together with the guys you played Little League with, who you have sweated and laughed and cried with, and you made it to Dodger Stadium. That's what it was like for us. And these are great singers who had been on "Shaft" and Bob Seger's "Still the Same" among many others, many albums as background voices and not as Dawn.
Sun: Is this a full-blown reunion project?
T.O.: It's not a real reunion tour, no, and we're not planning a reunion tour unless the public really, really wants it. We're very busy -- Telma has not been off the air (as the star of TV shows including "Bosom Buddies," "Gimme a Break" and "Family Matters") since we were on the air.
But the three of us will certainly promote the CD with Matt Lauer and the "Tonight Show," but we're not getting together to tour or any of that stuff. This is a reminder of what we have meant to so many people.
Sun: What's on the CD?
T.O.: It's spectacular -- the horns, the strings. It's a mix of originals. "The Christmas Song," that Mel Torme, who was a friend of mine, used to sing, is on it. You can't have Christmas without that. One original is by Toni Wine, who wrote "Candida" and still plays keyboards for me. Jack Keller, who produced my first record and who just passed away recently (in April), who wrote the song "Bewitched," wrote a song called "Christmas in New York."
We do "Silent Night" and many others, and a lot of people who have had a lot of hit records have contributed to this.
Sun: What can we expect out of your live show today? You do all the hits, right?
T.O.: I can't ignore the hits. When I saw Elton I was pleased that he did the hits, because that's what I wanted to hear. I do them all and I have a great time. I start with "Yellow Ribbon" and go from there, right down the line.
Sun: Don't you ever think, man, I have to do "Yellow Ribbon" again?
T.O.: I never have had the feeling that, "Oh my God, I've got to do this again?" "Knock Three Times" is the only song I've ever had that feeling about.
Sun: Why that one?
T.O.: There has always been a moment where I think I've kind of outgrown "Knock Three Times." Maybe it's kind of a novelty song to me, but I don't mind it. The thing is, if you have a bad feeling about anything, the audience will know it. It will show through to them.
So I try to change it up and keep it fresh. I do "Whole Lotta Love," the Led Zep song, for that reason. You call the show much like you call a football game -- you have a game plan, but change as the game goes along. If you want ballads, we'll do that. If you want country, we'll do country songs. It's like planning a party -- you can feel the vibe of the room.
You can tell if they're a hard-working crowd, if there's a full moon out. You can tell.
Sun: How?
T.O. It's what I do for a living (laughs).
Sun: Reviewers have described you as a "Las Vegas" showman. Are you comfortable with that.
T.O.: There's nothing wrong with that. That's what Elton John is now. When I was on Broadway, I was called a Broadway actor. Don't know what it means, exactly, but Elvis and (Frank) Sinatra had that title, and Wayne deserves that title, too.
I'm very proud of where I am, that I can go out on the road and work all those venues I worked when I was hot as a chili pepper. To still able to do that is something I'm very grateful for. My experience in Vegas has been great.
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