Music Monday: Was I the Only Teenager Who Liked this Band?

happiness, humor, lessons learned, music 2 Minutes

It’s a fairly clear memory from high school. Someone asked who my favorite singer/band was, and I made the mistake of telling the truth. Let’s just say that for the next few days, many people were questioning my taste in music.

But I couldn’t have been the only one that liked this group.

They were one of the hottest bands going in the early to mid-70s, with several top hits, and their own TV show. CBS gave the group a television variety show from the summer of 1974, after The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour ended its run, until December 1976. The show was in the same vein as its predecessor (with sketches featuring sarcastic back-and-forth banter between the three members of the band, similar to the sarcastic dialogue between Sonny and Cher) and became a Top 20 hit.

Have you guessed who it is?

Yep. Tony Orlando and Dawn, with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson the two women who made up Dawn.

Their signature hits include “Candida”, “Knock Three Times”, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”, “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose”, and “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)”.

The group parted ways in 1977, but reunited in 1988 for a five-week tour that wound up lasting into 1993.

The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2008.

Tony Orlando and Dawn occasionally reunite for television and benefit performances. The group reunited in 2015 for the sold-out “Tony Orlando and Dawn: To Be with You Again” tour and appeared at Chiller Theatre in Parsippany, NJ, and again for a successful Christmas tour in late-2018.

I liked both their music and their TV show. The music always seemed upbeat, and I thought their show had lots of funny moments.

Here are three of my favorite Tony Orlando and Dawn songs, from 1971, 1973, and 1975. It’s fun to watch how their looks changed over the years.

 

 

Despite not finding many like-minded fans back in high school, I stuck to my guns and never renounced them.

Who would have known I’d be writing about them 45 years later…

*image from Primtetimer

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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69 thoughts on “Music Monday: Was I the Only Teenager Who Liked this Band?”

  1. I really enjoyed some of their songs like “Knock Three Times.” I must admit I didn’t take the song seriously but couldn’t help singing along. It was the 70s version of a booty call. Given all of the other great groups you followed, it is surprising that Tony Orlando & Dawn is your favorite.

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  3. I love Tony Orlando and Dawn! I remember watching them on TV when I was little! I actually have Knock Three Times and Tie a Yellow Ribbon on my playlist when I’m out walking in the morning!!! Gets me moving!!

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      1. 3 seasons down. You got some catching up to do. If you like a “try to figure it” out mystery game, you will like it. My sister, daughters & hubby spend the whole season on FaceTime & on the phone talking about it & who could is hidden behind those masks. 🦹‍♀️

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      3. Some are, some are TV personalities. They disguise their voice pretty well. You get clues to their identity. That’s what makes it fun. Sometimes I figure it out, sometimes I don’t. Or one of the family or Frank will get one before any of figure it out. Like playing a game thousands of miles apart. I don’t want to spoil anything if you are going to watch any of the past episodes. 🙂

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      5. Let me know what you think. Note to self…if you can get it from the start of a season, you won’t miss any clues. Each week, everyone gets new clues that can help or really leave you scratching your head. 😊

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  5. Who??? LOL!
    Can’t say I listened to them, I didn’t know who they were. 🙂
    But good for you in not caving in to peer pressure. I am not surprised, you still watch that “what’s the name again” movie. 😛
    Oh, you don’t want to miss Tippy’s Tippy’s important post today! 🙂

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    1. it must be tough having missed all this great music from before your time 🙂

      I’ll read Tippy’s post in a few minutes… I wonder what’s going on today… 🙂

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  6. I understand there was some bad blood between them for a little while. I hadn’t heard they’d patched things up and got back together, but that’s good news. They had great chemistry.

    I liked their music, too. Knock Three Times was probably my favorite.

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  9. Oh my god thank you for letting me know who they are! I loved these songs but never who sang them. I even forgot it. They were released a decade before I was born and I haven’t heard in many years. 😄

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  10. As usual, there is the age thing going on that limits our exposure to individual performers. It seems that guys from our era know all of these songs quite well. I know that Telma Hopkins sang background with other performers. She is the one who utters the famous, “shut your mouth,” line on Isaac Hayes’s Theme From Shaft.

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  11. Now that is a blast from the past. Their music was a formulaic brand of catchy hooks and endearing stories. As you said, hard not to sing along with. What they lacked in edgy musicianship was countered by being accepted by the older generation of the time. These varietal shows helped push modern music into the mainstream, past a weary bunch of gray hairs. Really brought back some memories, Jim! Well written!

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  12. it was happy, upbeat, catchy music and i have to say i enjoyed them as entertainment. don’t forget, when i was young, i fought with my sisters to say how dumb they were for liking hack groups like the beatles and doors, and not loving a real group like i did, the monkees.

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  15. I’m with the majority on this! What were you thinking? I’m glad to say that I’ve never even heard of the tv series, let alone watched it. I’m not sure it was ever broadcast here: for such small mercies I offer thanks 😂

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    1. I know, they weren’t exactly The Eagles or Fleetwood Mac, but they did put a smile on my face, and you can’t ask for much more from music than that…

      this is a first though; I’ve heard of some music that you are not familiar with, but it sounds like you are ok with that in this case… 🙂

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      1. I know what you mean, but I’d have needed a sick bucket beside me if I watched the show.

        I knew of Dawn, of course, as they had hit records here too, but you’re right: some things are best left to others to enjoy!

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      3. I don’t remember it, to be honest. It may have been broadcast here but it doesn’t ring any bells. Was it about a man who beat his wife so badly that she had to be remade in plastic?

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      7. I liked some of her earlier stuff, before she discovered autotune. But I’ve never forgiven her for massacring Walking In Memfuss.

        I knew he went into politics. Didn’t he ski into a tree or something like that?

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  18. Thanks Jim for sharing a music memory. I can remember their TV show as it followed a tried and true formula going back to the Smother Brothers and Sonny & Cher. Telma Hopkins continued to dabble in television with several roles including a long stint on the sitcom “Family Matters.”

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  19. I was a big fan of Tony Orlando and Dawn from “Knock Three Times” onward including many of their lesser known hits such as “Summer Sand”, “What Are You Doing Sunday” “Steppin’ Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)”, “Look In My Eyes Pretty Woman” and “Cupid” (a major favorite) as I was with their major hits like “tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree”, “say has anybody seen my sweet gypsy rose”, “he don’t love you (like I love you)”, and “Candida” . They had three number one hits if you look at Billboard magazine and five number ones if you look at the Cashbox. They sold over 30 million records. “Tie a yellow ribbon” was one of the most highly impactful songs of all time on American culture. I realize that I am very knowledgeable about ’70s pop music to an unusual degree, but I am still surprised at the relatively low level of recognition for this band among your followers. I commend you on your good taste and I would’ve named Dawn if asked about, say, my 10 favorite bands at the time and I would’ve named all of those songs that had come out to that point in the early part of their career and the ’70s. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Tony Orlando. I am also a big fan of main songwriters of his hits Irwin Levine and L Russell Brown. You and I were born in the same year. I’m glad I found your blog and I look forward to reading more of it.

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      1. You’re welcome! I know, that was actually the post I was replying to. As for meeting Tony, it was about 8 years ago. I had just been talking to my girlfriend about how I’ve seen just about every music performer/band I’ve ever loved in person. The only major exception, I told her, was Tony Orlando. I wished I could have seen him live. One day later, I lie to you not, I saw an ad on TV for an upcoming concert appearance by…. Tony Orlando… at a Hilton Hotel only 2 miles from my home!! Sometimes my life goes that way.
        Well, needless to say I got to see him. Good close seats, too. Dawn wasn’t with him but a lady named Toni Wine was. She was not only the co-writer of the first Dawn hit “Candida”, but she was one of the two girls actually singing on that record – this was before they found and formed the two girls who would become the real Dawn. So it was a cool show!
        Afterwards they had a meet and greet, and I got in line, so excited to be about to meet Tony Orlando. Then someone came down the line asking to see our passes for the meet and greet. Passes? I didn’t know nothin’ about no passes. Turns out the meet and greet was arranged beforehand and you had to have a special pass for it. The guy told me I couldn’t go back there and I had to get out of line. I was crushed. I got out of line and began to walk away.
        “Sir?”
        I stopped and turned around,
        “It’s OK, you can get back in line.”
        Sometimes my life goes that way 🙂
        Tony was so nice, and interested in meeting his fans and listening to them. Down to earth and very real. Got his autograph and shook his hand. More in a trove of golden memories that began with the magical first time I heard “Knock Three Times” on the radio when I was 13 years old.

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      2. my bad about sending the link to the article you were referring to. I had thought you were replying to the Music Monday from last night where I mentioned the Partridge Family and the Monkees and the Archies.

        The stars were all aligned for you to meet Tony; that’s such a great story and I’m happy to hear he was a nice guy. I’m sure the show was great.

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