Topic: Tony Orlando

Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis (born April 3, 1944) better known as Tony Orlando is an American singer best known for his work 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, New York's then-notorious Hell's Kitchen.

Tony Orlando's musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed. His first success came when he recorded the hits Bless You and Halfway To Paradise in 1961. In 1969 he recorded with the studio group Wind and had a #28 hit that year with Make Believe which was released on Bo Gentry's Life Records. 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 (the middle name of the daughter of Jay Siegal, of The Tokens). After Orlando discovered that there were six touring groups using that name, Dawn became Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (which changed to Tony Orlando and Dawn, in 1974).