Acclaimed music star Tony Orlando chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about “Timeless: The Big Hits,” which was released via Time Life, and his iconic career in the entertainment business.
The album includes re-recorded versions of his classic and beloved hits as well as a bonus song “America Is My Hometown,” which was co-written by Tony Orlando and Michael Omartian, the latter of which also produced it. “Time Life just called me and asked if I would do a compilation where I would re-record the hits and I said ‘sure.’ I was very honored that they asked, it’s a great company,” he said.
He is one of America’s most endearing and enduring iconic stars. 2021 marks Orlando’s sixth decade in music and entertainment. “I have found it both a privilege and an honor. It’s shocking that I have been doing this for this long,” he said.
In October of 2020, Orlando launched his own show on 77 WABC Radio in New York, titled “Saturday Nights with Tony Orlando.” This radio station was the very first to play his debut single “Halfway to Paradise” six decades ago. “I’m having a ball doing this radio show that is streamed around the world on the most iconic radio station in New York, 77 WABC. It’s wonderful, it doesn’t get better,” he said.
His respected career includes five gold singles, three gold albums, two platinum albums, and a string of hits including “Candida,” “Knock Three Times,” “Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose,” “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You),” and his signature song, the anthem of hope and homecoming “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”
Speaking of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” it was one of the biggest-selling singles of all time and Billboard Magazine’s No. 1 song of the year in 1973.
The popular “Tony Orlando and Dawn” CBS television show ran from 1973 to 1977, and that made Tony Orlando and Dawn the first multiracial group to ever have a primetime network television variety show. Orlando was also the first Latino to host a network variety show.
His mantel holds three American Music Awards (AMA), two People’s Choice Awards as “Male Entertainer of the Year”, five “Entertainer of the Year” Awards in Las Vegas, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “This has been like a dream come true,” he admitted.
He has starred in two Broadway Tony award-winning productions (“Barnum” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”). He was the recipient of the “Bob Hope Award” for excellence in entertainment from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for his dedication and service to our Armed Forces and Veterans.
His career began as a singer-songwriter in the legendary Brill Building in 1961 (alongside Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Simon and Garfunkel), and later became a record company executive who signed Barry Manilow to his first record deal. Orlando continues to perform across the country to sold-out concerts.
Orlando was born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to Puerto Rican and Greek parents and he was raised in New York City, thus joking about being “Greek-a-Rican.” His father, Leo, was born in New York but his parents came from Crete. His yiayia was Despina and his papou was Michael and they were both from Crete. His father was one of the most successful furriers in New York City and a good craftsman.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Staying Healthy.” “Keep your brain gymnastics alive and well. Keep writing new songs, have new songs, and hopefully the musical that you wrote will see Broadway someday,” he said. “You need to keep going until the loving God calls you home.”
Orlando defined the word success simply as “being a good person.” “I never thought of success as being a celebrity or having fame,” he said. “Fame is a mirage, there is no such thing as fame.”
“Timeless: The Big Hits” is available on digital service providers by clicking here. “Every song on that album was a No. 1 or a Top 5 hit for me,” he concluded.
To learn more about Tony Orlando, check out his official website and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
