Last weekend, my dose of AMERICAN TOP 40 - THE 70s was an episode from 1970. One of the featured hits was "Candida" by Dawn. No, not Tony Orlando and Dawn; they were just called "Dawn" at this point. In fact, I knew the story that Tony Orlando originally didn't want to be credited as vocalist due to a possible perception of conflict of interest. I didn't know that Joyce Vincent and Telma Hopkins were not on "Candida", but it didn't surprise me. However, there was something that did surprise me, and I'm still trying to figure it out.
Casey Kasem of 1970 said that Dawn was four guys: Frank, Ricky, Joe, and Dave. To which my reaction was "Huh?" My best guess is that Bell Records (Dawn's label) toyed with the idea of putting a band out there as "Dawn", whether any of them played on the hit single or not. Plans went in a different direction when Tony Orlando decided to take the credit for singing a hugely popular song, and the rest is history.
Except who WERE "Frank, Ricky, Joe and Dave"? I have yet to find a reference to their identities, and it seems they aren't the actual session musicians who recorded "Candida". Who were these four guys that almost became Dawn?
the big question on their TV show (which lasted longer than I remember) was always - to the girls, that is- "so which one of you is 'Dawn'?" it was lame after the first time.
ReplyDeleteI used to skate to their songs.
That is some prime "komedy" right there.
ReplyDeleteReally? I wouldn't have imagined those being skating rink songs.
it's almost always Top 40 in every rink. even now. "Dancing Queen", "Una Paloma Blanca", "Heart of Glass" (it got better, lol) all those songs. usually top 20, though one time I remember hearing BOC's "Godzilla"- the first time I had ever heard the song.
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