Tony Orlando & Dawn captured the zeitgeist of the early 1970s with the megahit, Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree. That the song managed to live on through the ages and become an anthem of hope and freedom, especially for POWs, is a testament to songwriters Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown.
And Orlando, as well as backup singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson, too.
Together, the troika infused Tie A Yellow Ribbon … with rich vocals and rare sentiment. It generated a wave of hope — symbolic yellow ribbons were tied around trees, cars, fences, and, years later, the Space Shuttle and the Astrodome when American hostages returned from Iran in early 1981 after being held captive for 444 days.
Orlando and his posse went on to produce five No. 1 singles in all (Candida, Knock 3 Times, Sweet Gypsy Rose, He Don't Love You), and two Platinum and three Gold Albums, making the group one of Billboard’s 100 Bestselling Artists of all Time.
Their rare “Christmas Reunion” show—Dec. 1 at Fantasy Springs — promises to be uplifting because the trio hasn’t performed together much in 40 years.
But Orlando’s return to the Valley is particularly nostalgic.
“For many years, Palm Desert was my home,” he beams. “As a child, I lived in Coachella and I remember searching for beautiful rocks around the house, and looking at the beautiful mountains. As a matter of fact … I owned House 1 in Palm Desert — believe it or not.”
Orlando says it was at the end of a cul-de-sac on Fiddleneck Lane [in the 1970s]. He eventually moved to the Lakes Country Club. “The valley has been very important to me for much of my life. Once you live there, it gets under your skin and you can’t shake it.”
Other revelations ensue in conversation with the singer, who’s been performing since he was 16 — like the fact that he was asked to write a Broadway show (“Rooftop Dreams”), based on his life. The show opens in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2019 and will hopefully hit Broadway in 2020.
Orlando shares more with Palm Springs Life.
What was going through your mind the very first time you sang Tie A Yellow Ribbon …?
The first time we [Telma and Joyce] performed it was with Bob Hope at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, where we welcomed home the POWs from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in front of 72,000 people.
That’s powerful.
I remember the day clearly. Prior to going on, I said to Mr. Hope, “How did you know to call us?” Our record was only out for three weeks and hadn’t reached No. 1 or anything at that point. Bob said, “Tony, that opening line of that song—‘I’m coming home, I’ve done my time’—is why you’re here. That’s exactly what the family’s of these POWs are thinking.” That just shows you how sensitive Mr. Hope really was—to be able to pick up on that.
Was that a turning point for the group?
That song has given me such tremendous opportunity to become friends with our POWs. I dedicated so much of our career — over 40 years — to raising money on behalf of veterans. I know that it had an impact. The songwriters who wrote it, Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown — those two guys wrote that letter. All we did was deliver it.
Were you surprised by its immense success?
Sure. Nobody could ever imagine a song that would create a symbol, which is now a great symbol of hope and homecoming for our troops all over the world ever since 1973. That first time, with Bob, I remember watching these guys in the audience clapping their hands and singing along. And their eyes hadn’t adjusted to the daylight yet because they were held captive in the Hanoi Hilton. There was one POW who wasn’t clapping. I was worried if I had said something to upset him. Later, I asked Bob if I could go talk to him and he said, “Go ahead.” I walked up and introduced myself and I said, “Sir, I noticed you weren’t clapping along with your buddies. Please forgive me if I did anything to offend you.” He said, “Oh, Tony. My name is John McCain. I couldn’t clap my hands. They pulled my shoulders out of socket [during imprisonment] but what you didn’t see was my toe keeping time in my shoe.”
Now that’s particularly poignant, especially this year, after the passing of John McCain.
I remained friends with him for many years. How could I ever imagine that the song would have had the impact it had? It’s been a dreamlike journey.
What do you love most about performing?
You know that feeling you get when you buy a gift for somebody for Christmas or his or her birthday? Being on stage is similar. You go out and hope to give whatever gifts God gave you as a performer. You hand it to the audience. You watch them open the gift. You see this look of joy on their face, and they applaud, and that’s the joy they give back.
How does it feel to reunite with Telma and Joyce?
This is the first time we’ve ever done a Christmas reunion. We hadn’t really worked together for nearly 40 years.
Must be exciting.
They’re the greatest singers I ever sang with. Just unbelievable — to be able to hear them in my left ear and my right ear. These are the same girls who did backup with Marvin Gaye and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", or Shaft with Isaac Hayes. The Four Tops, too. That’s them. I’ll tell you — to sing harmony with them is almost spiritual. I’m not kidding.
What has being in show business taught you about people; about life?
That people are the same all over the world. They want to be happy, they want their family to be safe, they want to be able to earn a good living and be stress-free and enjoy life to the fullest. I’ve learned that we are all truly brothers and sisters on this planet and we should treat each other as such — as a family.
Tony Orlando & Dawn: A Christmas Reunion unfolds at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Pkwy in Indio. For tickets, visit fantasyspringsresort.com. Keep track of Tony Orlando at tonyorlando.com.