View source for Tony Orlando

{{Short description|American singer (born 1944)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = Tony Orlando
| image               = Tony Orlando by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption             = Orlando in 2022
| birth_name          = Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1944|4|3}}
| birth_place         = New York City, U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         =
| genre               = [[Pop music|Pop]]/[[Rock music|Rock]]
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* producer
* actor}}
| years_active        = 1958–present
| associated_acts     = {{hlist|The Five Gents|Wind|[[Tony Orlando and Dawn]]}}
| website             = {{URL|tonyorlando.com}}
}}

'''Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis''' (born April 3, 1944), known professionally as '''Tony Orlando''', is an American [[Pop music|pop]]/[[Rock music|rock]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tony-orlando-mn0000016235 | title=Tony Orlando Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> singer, songwriter, and music executive whose career spans nearly seven decades. He is best known for his work as part of [[Tony Orlando and Dawn]].

In 1993, he opened the Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Music Theatre in [[Branson, Missouri]]. He ended his act there in 2013 and has since continued to perform many live shows as a headliner, mostly in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://parade.com/693827/nancyberk/music-legend-tony-orlandos-full-circle-moments-in-vegas/| title=Music Legend Tony Orlando's Full-Circle Moments in Vegas| date=August 17, 2018| first=Dr. Nancy| last=Berk| magazine=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]| access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> When his song "Candida" became an international number-one song, he began to use his name in the group becoming "Dawn featuring Tony Orlando" and then "Tony Orlando and Dawn". The group had 19 other top 40 tracks, including "[[Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree]]", the top-selling hit of 1973 and one of the biggest selling singles of all time. The group also had a hit variety program, ''The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show'' on CBS from 1974 to 1976.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 31, 2017 |title=The Dawning of a Legend: Tony Orlando puts 'blood, sweat and tears' into shows |url=http://entertainermag.com/blog/2017/01/31/the-dawning-of-a-legend-tony-orlando-puts-blood-sweat-and-tears-into-shows/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709065002/http://entertainermag.com/blog/2017/01/31/the-dawning-of-a-legend-tony-orlando-puts-blood-sweat-and-tears-into-shows/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |magazine=The Entertainer! Magazine}}</ref> They then broke-up in 1977, after which he has performed as Tony Orlando. In 1985, he played the role of Tony Castillo in ''The Cosby Show'' on Season 1 Episode 23 titled "Mr. Quite".

Orlando retired from performing on the road, in concert in 2024, after sixty-four years.  He shifted his focus to movies, Broadway, streaming new product, and writing his next book.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |title=Tony Orlando Sets Farewell Tour |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/tony-orlando-farewell-tour-1235581627/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>

== Early life  ==
Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis was born on April 3, 1944, the son of a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother. He spent his earliest years in Chelsea, Manhattan on West 21st Street, New York City.<ref name=PalestineHerald>{{cite news |last=Webb |first=Pennylynn |date=November 2, 2018 |title=An American icon Tony Orlando is still knocking |url=https://www.palestineherald.com/community/an-american-icon-tony-orlando-is-still-knocking/article_59ee6c72-def6-11e8-aae1-2fb6dbddab6d.html |access-date=March 14, 2022 |newspaper=[[Palestine Herald-Press]] |language=en}}</ref> In his teenage years, the family moved to [[Union City, New Jersey]], and later [[Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/121688708__Tie_a_Yellow_Ribbon__star_to_renewhis_ties_to_North_Jersey_at_concert.html| title=Tony Orlando to perform in Morristown| access-date=May 17, 2011| last=Ervolino| first=Bill| date=May 12, 2011| newspaper=[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Bergen Record]]}}</ref>

== Musical career ==

=== Early career ===
Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a [[doo-wop]] group he formed in 1959 at age 15, with whom he recorded demo tapes. He 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 & Garfunkel|Simon and Garfunkel]].<ref name="reno.com">{{cite news |title=From chart-topping teen to music executive, Tony Orlando has done it all |url=http://www.reno.com/story/things-to-do/2017/02/28/chart-topping-teen-music-executive-tony-orlando-done/98548518/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220152918/http://www.reno.com/story/things-to-do/2017/02/28/chart-topping-teen-music-executive-tony-orlando-done/98548518/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |newspaper=[[Reno Gazette-Journal]]| date=February 28, 2017}}</ref>

Kirshner also hired Orlando to record songwriter demos as a solo artist, and his first success came at the age of 16 when he charted in North America and UK with the hits "[[Bless You (Tony Orlando song)|Bless You]]" and "[[Halfway To Paradise]]".<ref name="reno.com"/>  He also appeared at the [[Brooklyn Paramount Theater]] with DJ [[Murray the K]].<ref name="sf-1989">{{cite news| title=Tony Orlando looking for respect| date=December 15, 1989| author=Selvin, Joel| newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref>  Orlando also had four records that "Bubbled Under" the Hot 100: "Chills" in 1962, "Shirley" and "[[I'll Be There (Bobby Darin song)|I'll Be There]]" in 1963, and "I Was A Boy (When You Needed A Man)" as by Billy Shields in April 1969.<ref>{{cite book| title=Joel Whitburn's bubbling under the hot 100 (1959–1985)| first=Joel| last=Whitburn| publisher=Record Research, Inc| url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnsbub0000whit_c0c3/page/138/mode/2up?q=orlando| page=138| isbn=978-0-8982-0082-9| year=1992}}</ref> [[Gerry Goffin]] and [[Jack Keller (songwriter)|Jack Keller]] wrote a [[doo-wop]] version of [[Stephen Foster]]'s song "[[Beautiful Dreamer]]" for Orlando. Released as a single in 1962,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/db4954 |title=Record Details |website=45cat |access-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> the song was picked up by [[the Beatles]] who included it in their set lists on [[the Beatles Winter 1963 Helen Shapiro Tour]];<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewisohn |first=Mark |title=The Complete Beatles Chronicle  |url=https://archive.org/details/completebeatlesc0000lewi/page/98/mode/2up?q=beautiful+dreamer |year=1996 |publisher=Bounty Books |isbn=978-0-7607-0327-4 |page=98}}</ref> a recorded version was released on their 2013 album ''[[On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2]]''. 
[[File:Tony Orlando.jpg|left|thumb|Orlando in 1965]]
Orlando continued as a solo artist and also became a producer himself, as well as a successful music executive in the late 1960s. Orlando was associated with [[Columbia Records]] publishing subsidiary April-Blackwood Music. 

By the late 1960s, Orlando had worked his way up to vice president of a larger publishing company, CBS Music, where he signed, co-wrote with, and produced Barry Manilow (under the name "Featherbed"). He also worked with other artists, such as [[The Yardbirds]]; [[James Taylor]]; [[Grateful Dead]]; [[Blood, Sweat & Tears]]; [[Barry Manilow]], and [[Laura Nyro]].<ref name="reno.com" /><ref>{{cite news |date=April 6, 2016 |title=Q&A: Tony Orlando talks the Beatles, Elvis, and Meghan Trainor |url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/theatre/tony-orlando-q-a |access-date=June 3, 2023 |first=Shawn |last=Conner |newspaper=[[Vancouver Sun]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/02/15/knock-3-times-if-you-want-tony-orlando/| title=Knock 3 times if you want Tony Orlando| date=February 16, 2012| first=Paul| last=Freeman| newspaper=San Jose Mercury News| access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> In the summer of 1969, he recorded with the studio group Wind and had a number 28 hit that year with "Make Believe" on producer [[Bo Gentry]]'s Life Records. Columbia president [[Clive Davis]] did nothing to stop Orlando from singing lead on "Candida" after his friends Hank Medress and Dave Appel asked him for a favor. The stage name they chose—Dawn—was the middle name of the daughter of label executive Steve Wax.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-tony-orlando-knock-three-times-arcada-theatre-20150723-story.html| title=Tony Orlando still hasn't needed that backup career option, despite his mother's advice| first=Steve| last=Knopper| date=July 23, 2015| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>On the October 3, 1970, edition of "[[American Top 40]]", [[Casey Kasem]] claimed that the name of the lead singer on "Candida" was "Frankie Spanelli".</ref>

=== Tony Orlando and Dawn ===
{{Main|Tony Orlando and Dawn}}
[[File:Tony Orlando & Dawn, Bestanddeelnr 927-0100.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Performing in 1974 alongside Telma Hopkins]]
[[File:Singer Tony Orlando and First Lady Betty Ford Dancing following a State Dinner Honoring President Kekkonen of Finland - NARA - 12007060.jpg|thumb|right|Dancing with [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Betty Ford]] after a state dinner at the White House in 1976]]
Orlando recorded "[[Candida (song)|Candida]]" with backup singers including [[Toni Wine]] (who wrote the song) and [[Linda November]]. Concerned about a possible conflict of interest with his April-Blackwood duties, Orlando sang under the condition that his name not be associated with the project, so it was released under the simple name of "Dawn", the middle name of the daughter of Bell records executive Steve Wax.<ref>{{cite book |last=Warner |first=Jay |title=American singing groups: a history from 1940 to today |publisher=[[Billboard Books]] |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-6340-9978-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/americansingingg00warn}}</ref>

"Candida" became a worldwide hit in 1970, reaching number one in five countries, and the top ten in many others, including number three in the United States.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://wfgr.com/candida-by-dawn-classic-hit-or-miss/| title='Candida' by Dawn – Classic Hit or Miss| website=[[WFGR]]| date=October 21, 2013| access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> Dawn, with Wine and November again singing backup, recorded another song, "[[Knock Three Times]]", which itself became a #1 hit. Orlando then wanted to go on tour, and asked two other session singers, [[Telma Hopkins]] and [[Joyce Vincent Wilson]] to join for the tour. 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.

The new group recorded more hits, including "[[Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree]]" (1973) and "[[He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)]]" (1975), a cover of the [[Jerry Butler]] hit, "[[He Will Break Your Heart]]". With a successful recording career, Orlando then set his sights on television. As described in the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', "Tony Orlando and Dawn burst out of television sets during the [[Gerald Ford|Ford administration]], a sunny antidote to the dark cynicism that followed [[Watergate]]. He represented simple, traditional values, a conservative return to pure entertainment. He drew a [[Smiley|happy face]] in the "O" of his autograph. It was not terribly cool, but America loved him."<ref name=sf-1989 />  The [[Tony Orlando and Dawn (TV series)|''Tony Orlando and Dawn'']] show on [[CBS]] became a hit, a summer replacement for the ''[[Sonny & Cher]]'' show, and ran for three seasons from 1974 to 1976.<ref name="jaytv.com">{{cite web |title=An Evening with Tony Orlando – March 24 – Seminole Casino Immokalee |url=http://jaytv.com/events/tony-orlando-2/ |access-date=February 8, 2018 |website=Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment}}</ref> It welcomed the biggest names in show business each week as Orlando's guests, including his boyhood idols, [[Jackie Gleason]] and [[Jerry Lewis]].

On October 12, 2015, with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson present, Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters honored Orlando with their Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award at a celebrity luncheon.

=== Late 1970s onwards ===
Along with the fame, Orlando had personal battles in the 1970s. He was briefly addicted to [[cocaine]], and battled both weight gain and [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. In 1977, due to the death of his sister and the suicide of Orlando's close friend, comedian [[Freddie Prinze]], Orlando had a breakdown and retired from singing.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]| date=July 26, 1998| author=Roger, John| title=For Tony Orlando, road to Branson has been a thrill}}</ref><ref name=FoxNews>{{cite news |last=Nolasco |first=Stephanie |date=April 20, 2021 |title=Tony Orlando recalls how faith helped him cope with personal tragedies: 'I was ashamed of disappointing God' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tony-orlando-faith-cope-personal-tragedies-ashamed-disappointing-god |access-date=May 12, 2022 |website=[[Fox News]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He was briefly institutionalized, but returned to television with an NBC comeback special. From then, he continued as a solo artist, charting with two singles – the dance hit "Don't Let Go" in 1978 and "[[Sweets for My Sweet]]" in 1979. In the 1980s, he was a dominant force in Las Vegas, headlining various hotels with sold-out audiences.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/shows/classic-showmanship-of-singer-tony-orlando-endures-in-vegas/| title=Classic showmanship of singer Tony Orlando endures in Vegas| first=Mike| last=Weatherford| newspaper=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]| date=April 24, 2014| accessdate=May 18, 2022}}</ref>

Tony Orlando was the subject of a song by the American indie rock band [[Yo La Tengo]] on their album ''[[And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out]]'', titled "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House", named after one of the many previous film and television roles of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' character [[Troy McClure]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Im |first=Jackie |date=2009-07-16 |title=The Best Tracks of the '00s, No. 14: Yo La Tengo - "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" |url=https://www.treblezine.com/the-best-tracks-of-the-00s-no-14/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Treble |language=en-US}}</ref>

Orlando continued primarily as a solo singer, performing on tour and regularly in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] and [[Branson, Missouri]].<ref name=sh>{{cite news| title=Orlando dawns a new era| newspaper=[[Sun Herald]]| location=Biloxi, Mississippi| date=November 30, 1999| author=Jones, Joy}}</ref> He hosted the New York City portions of the [[MDA Labor Day Telethon]] on WNEW/[[WNYW]] and [[WWOR-TV]] from the 1980s to 2011, leaving in response to [[Jerry Lewis]]' firing from the [[Muscular Dystrophy Association]]. 

In 2020, Orlando began hosting a Saturday night oldies program for [[WABC (AM)|WABC Radio]] as the New York City station partially restored its music format.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/200566/tony-orlando-joins-wabc/| title=Tony Orlando joins WABC| first=Lance| last=Venta| website=Radio Insight| date=October 29, 2020| access-date=October 30, 2020}}</ref> Orlando retired from performing on the road, in concert in 2024, after sixty-four years. Hopkins and Wilson joined him on stage. He shifted his focus to movies, Broadway, streaming new product, and writing his next book.<ref name=":0" />

== Acting career ==
[[File:Freddie Prinze Tony Orlando Chico and the Man 1976.JPG|thumb|Orlando (left) and [[Freddie Prinze]] in ''[[Chico and the Man]]'' (1976)]]
Orlando's first TV appearance was in 1976 on the series ''[[Chico and the Man]]'' as "Tomas Garcia".

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. Others in the cast included [[Edward James Olmos]], [[Pepe Serna]] and [[Julie Carmen]].{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

In May 1981, Orlando appeared on Broadway in the title role of ''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'', replacing [[Jim Dale]], who was on a three-week vacation.

In 2003, Orlando had a recurring role in the children's animated series ''[[Oswald (TV series)|Oswald]]'', in which he did the voice of "Sammy Starfish".

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. He sang for the prosecution, thereby persuading the judge to give the defense jail for life. In another television program, Orlando was featured in "[[Larry the Cable Guy]]'s Star Studded Christmas Extravaganza".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/larry-cable-guys/295925|title=Larry the Cable Guy's Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza|access-date=January 10, 2009|work=tvguide.com|publisher=TV Guide Online |date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> He appeared in ''[[That's My Boy (2012 film)|That's My Boy]]'' as Steve Spirou, a [[Happy Madison Productions|Happy Madison]] production starring [[Adam Sandler]] in 2012.

== Support for veterans ==
Orlando is a longtime advocate for U.S. military [[veteran]]s and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" has become an anthem for service members.<ref>{{cite news |last=Runnells |first=Charles |date=March 1, 2016 |title=Tony Orlando: It's all about the veterans |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/entertainment/2016/03/01/tony-orlando-seminole-casino-tie-a-yellow-ribbon-fort-myers-veterans/80994678/ |access-date=April 4, 2022 |newspaper=[[The News-Press]] |location=Ft. Myers, Florida |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 4, 2013 |title=Celebrities give organization for veterans' families a boost in Dallas |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2013/10/04/celebrities-give-organization-for-veterans-families-a-boost-in-dallas/ |access-date=April 4, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |url-access=subscription |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Paulson |first=Dave |date=November 9, 2018 |title=Story Behind the Song: 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon' |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2018/11/09/tie-yellow-ribbon-tony-orlando-dawn-l-russell-brown/1895280002/ |access-date=April 4, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Tennessean]] |location=Nashville |language=en-US}}</ref>

Orlando serves on the board of directors for the [[Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation|Eisenhower Foundation]], as well as honorary chairman of Snowball Express, an organization that serves the children of fallen military heroes.<ref name=PalestineHerald/>

He hosts the annual Congressional Medal of Honor dinner in [[Dallas]]. He has served as the master of ceremonies at the Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards at the Pentagon in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="jaytv.com"/><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fuoco-Karasinski |first=Christina |date=January 31, 2017 |title=The Dawning of a Legend: Tony Orlando puts 'blood, sweat and tears' into shows |url=https://entertainermag.com/blog/2017/01/31/the-dawning-of-a-legend-tony-orlando-puts-blood-sweat-and-tears-into-shows/ |access-date=April 4, 2022 |magazine=The Entertainer! Magazine}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Orlando was introduced by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] to his future wife, Elaine, who had previously dated [[Buddy Holly]] and who had previously been married to folk rock composer [[Fred Neil]]. Tony and Elaine married in 1965, and had one child, Jon; they divorced in 1984. Five years later, Orlando was engaged to Francine Amormino, whom he married on April 29, 1990.<ref name=PalestineHerald/><ref name=FoxNews/> The couple remained married {{as of| 2021|lc=y|post=;}} they have one child.<ref name=sf-1989/><ref>{{cite news| date=June 20, 1999| title=Tony Orlando leads lineup of entertainers| newspaper=[[Idaho Statesman]]| location=Boise| author=Bossick, Karen}}</ref>

On February 27, 2013, his mother, Ruth Schroeder of [[Hollister, Missouri]], died in [[Branson, Missouri]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.krzk.com/13911/mother_of_tony_orlando_dies.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140901132959/http://www.krzk.com/13911/mother_of_tony_orlando_dies.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 1, 2014 |title=Mother of Tony Orlando Dies| access-date=September 1, 2014}}</ref> of a diabetic stroke.<ref>{{cite interview |first=Dennis |last=Miller |interviewer=Dennis Miller |title=The Dennis Miller Show |last2=Orlando |first2=Tony |url=http://www.dennismillerradio.com/b/Doing-Good-Things/34797230907867063.html |date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140901132956/http://www.dennismillerradio.com/b/Doing-Good-Things/34797230907867063.html |archive-date=September 1, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2002, he wrote a memoir, ''Halfway to Paradise'' with Patsi Bale Cox.<ref name="pd-2002">{{cite news| date=November 12, 2002| title=Tony Orlando sets a course for "Paradise" with his memoir| newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch| author=Massey, Dawne}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Orlando |first1=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gs7qD4l8LEYC |title=Halfway to Paradise |last2=Cox |first2=Patsi Bale |date=2003-11-08 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-4299-7912-2 |language=en}}</ref>

Orlando was interviewed on ''[[The 700 Club]]'' explaining that he was raised [[Roman Catholic Church|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.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cbn.com/cbnmusic/interviews/700club_Tony_Orlando.aspx| title=Tony Orlando's Brush With Death| date=January 27, 2012| website=[[Christian Broadcasting Network]]| access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref>

In 1990, Orlando received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Blvd.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |date=March 19, 2021 |title=Tony Orlando Celebrates Six Decades in Music With TIMELESS: THE BIG HITS Album and More |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Tony-Orlando-Celebrates-Six-Decades-in-Music-With-TIMELESS-THE-BIG-HITS-Album-and-More-20210319 |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Awards ==
He has won the Casino Entertainer of the Year Award, the Best All Around Entertainer – Las Vegas four times, and, prior to that, three times in Atlantic City, the Jukebox Artist of the Year Award from the Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and has also been bestowed with The Bob Hope Award for excellence in entertainment from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in honor of his efforts on behalf of United States veterans. His work on behalf of American veterans led to his being named Honorary Chairman at the 40th Anniversary at the NAM-POW's Homecoming Celebration at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in 2014.<ref name="PalestineHerald" />

== Discography ==
{{for|Tony Orlando and Dawn recordings|Tony Orlando and Dawn#Discography}}

'''Albums'''
* ''Bless You and 11 Other Great Hits'' (1961)
* ''Make Believe'' (1969) (with 'Wind')
* ''Before Dawn'' (1973)
* ''Tony Orlando'' (1978)
* ''I Got Rhythm'' (1979)
* ''Livin' for the Music'' (1980)
* ''Halfway to Paradise: The Complete Epic Masters 1961–1964'' (2006)
* ''Bless You'' (2014)

'''Solo singles'''
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* "[[Halfway to Paradise]]" (1961) US #39, CB #17
* "[[Bless You (Tony Orlando song)|Bless You]]" (1961) US #15, CB #17 [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] #5<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first=David| last=Roberts| year=2006
|title=British Hit Singles & Albums| edition=19th| publisher=Guinness World Records| location=London| isbn=978-1-9049-9410-7| page=410}}</ref>
* "Happy Times (Are Here To Stay)" (1961) US #82, CB #76
* "Chills" (1962) US #109, CB #111
* "At the Edge of Tears" (1962) CB #146
* "Shirley" (1963) US #133, CB #109
* "I'll Be There" (1963) US #124, CB #123
* "What Am I Gonna Do" (1963) CB #tag
* "Tell Me What Can I Do" (1964) CB #147
* "To Wait For Love" (1964) CB #119
* "I Was A Boy" (1969) US #109, CB #89 (as Billy Shields)
* "Make Believe" (1969) US #28, CB #18  (with 'Wind')
* "I'll Hold Out My Hand" (1969) CB #114 (with 'Wind')
* "Don't Let Go" (1978) Dance #27,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-let-go-mw0003412177| title=Don't Let Go: Tony Orlando| website=[[AllMusic]]| access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> AC #48
* "[[Sweets for My Sweet]]" (1979) US #54, CB #55, AC #20}}
* "Pullin' Together" (1980)

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book | last1=Orlando | first1=Tony| title=Halfway to Paradise| publisher=St. Martine's Press |others=With Patsi Bale Cox| date=2002|isbn=0-312-26603-0}}

== See also ==
* [[List of Puerto Ricans]]
* [[Tony Orlando and Dawn]]
* [[Tony Orlando and Dawn (TV series)|''Tony Orlando and Dawn'' (TV series)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
39.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgCll0WgFw0 Tony Orlando Legendary Singer & Hitmaker ‘Up Close & Personal’ Zoom Special Event on Interviewing the Legends with Ray Shasho]

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|650027}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Discogs artist}}

{{Tony Orlando and Dawn}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1960–1979}}
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlando, Tony}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:Actors from Union City, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:American male pop singers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Greek descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent]]
[[Category:Television personalities from New York City]]
[[Category:Bell Records artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Missouri]]
[[Category:Male actors from Bergen County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Male actors from Hudson County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]]
[[Category:People from Branson, Missouri]]
[[Category:People from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Singers from Missouri]]
[[Category:Singers from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Singers from New York City]]
[[Category:Tony Orlando and Dawn members]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
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