Customer Reviews

Halfway to Paradise

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone old enough to remember back to 1973 knows the name Tony Orlando. That's the year the singer and his female back-up duo Dawn recorded "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree."

The top-40s ditty about a petty criminal welcomed back from prison became the theme song for returning Vietnam POWs, a rallying point for families of American hostages in Iran and soldiers serving in the Gulf War, and an all-purpose anthem for anyone forced to be away from home. As part of the national soundtrack of the late 20th century, the song earned Orlando a place in pop culture history.

Or, as Orlando puts it in his autobiography --- "Almost like flipping a pancake, 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree' flipped my life over." HALFWAY TO PARADISE is peppered with such passages --- writing that is clumsy, yet gets the point across. One of the book's most distracting shortcomings is Orlando's fondness for clichéd phrases such as, "singing my praises," "walking on eggs," "turned the tide," and "sweating bullets." He also seems confused about the meaning of the word "literally," as when he describes his father "literally sucking the air out of the room."

Nevertheless, Orlando writes with a self-effacing candor, humility and lack of animosity that gives this book a gentle appeal absent from many celebrity autobiographies. Patsi Bale Cox, who has collaborated on the autobiographies of performers including Tanya Tucker and Loretta Lynn, assisted in the writing. But the book's voice sounds as if it's rising straight from Orlando's sentimental soul.

Although he's fond of using the word "ironically" to describe coincidences, irony isn't on his palette. He makes statements like "The band has become like family to me, as all bands should to an entertainer." Talking about his deceased sister, "Rhonda was my angel on earth who now resides in Heaven," he betrays no hint that he blushed when he wrote the words.

Orlando is an entertainer who knows he's not A-list and never was. He drips with awe and gratitude when he talks about the legends --- Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali --- who took an interest in him throughout his career.

He's a man who screwed up in his personal life --- marital infidelity and drug abuse, his two biggest failings --- and counts himself blessed to be coming up on 60 with a loving family and good health.

The book takes him from his boyhood in the close-knit working class neighborhood of Manhattan's West 21st Street, to his entry into show business singing demo songs, to his short-lived run as a teen idol, to his first steady job working for a music publisher. The core of the book takes place during the 1970s, those few heady years when Orlando was a star, recording a string of pop hits and appearing with Dawn in his own network variety show.

It was during Orlando's professional peak that he bottomed out personally. He watched his close friend Freddie Prinze die after shooting himself in the head, then ended up in a straightjacket after entering a mental hospital to battle a cocaine habit.

By the '80s, the drugs were over, but so was Orlando's run as a pop star. Since then, he has struggled to redefine his career, performing on Broadway and in Las Vegas and acting in a movie with Edward James Olmos. In the mid-'80s, he tried to get back into network television with the help of Bill Cosby, who wrote an episode for his own sitcom designed to create a spin-off in which Orlando would star. In a winningly candid moment, Orlando admits he blew the taping.

"The network turned down a spin off, and it's no wonder," he writes. "I've watched it several times over the years and, even with the mellowing effect of time, my performance stunk, then and now."

Orlando now lives in Branson, Missouri with his second wife, Frannie, and their daughter. He performs in Branson and does some touring. He is not rich, and he is famous mostly in a used-to-be sort of way. But he gets to sing and he can support his family, and it seems to suit him just fine.

Ultimately, this book is less interesting as a celebrity autobiography than it as the story of a family man in late middle age, finally getting it right.

--- Reviewed by Karen Jenkins Holt

Tony Orlando has been a very dear friend for over 30 years, I first met him in a recording studio on West 48th Street in New York City back in the late 60's. I was visiting some friends at Wind Records, when they gave me a new album by a group called "WIND" that was being released on their new label. They played some of the songs, and what I heard was lead vocals that sound very odd...I later learned it was Tony Orlando singing on the session!

This book from Tony, is one of alot of love,pain,tears,soul searching and the lost of a very dear and close friend (Freddie Prinze) to a gun shot to his head which no one seems to this day understands!

Tony gives his fans, a real up close and inside view of the pain and many pressures as well stress that he has faced. I really could not put this book down,I for one wanted to learn just what Tony was feeling inside...and this book says it all!

Read the book and learn, just what Tony Orlando the man felt and suffered. You will not be disappointed, but be more of a fan of Tony's than ever you were before!

THANK YOU TONY, FOR SHARING YOUR PAIN AS WELL YOUR LOSS OF A GREAT TALENT THAT FREDDIE PRINZE STILL IS!

I too have been a Tony Orlando fan for MANY years. I went to Vegas in the 1970s specifically to see his show. I even patted him on the butt! I was rather disappointed that he did not go into more detail about his relationship with the girls from Dawn, he mentioned at one time that they were not speaking but gave no info as to why not. I would also have liked to know more about the drug use and dark days with Freddie Prinze. It just seemed that the book put a positive spin on all aspects of his life and did not delve into the problem areas that we all have. This all helps to make a person what he/she is today and I felt this was missing in the book. I did enjoy it but thought more details could have been included to round out the picture of his life.

Being a tremendous fan of Tony Orlando, especially back in the 70's, I was eagerly anticipating this book. Although I knew about most of the things he's written about, his breakdown is especially harrowing. There were other incidents I was very surprised about. (You have to read the book). I rather enjoyed his relating of his "Brill Building" days. One must always remember where they came from in order to understand and appreciate (as Tony does) what they have now. I was born the year he recorded Halfway to Paradise, but thanks to my brother-in-law, who purchased for me the older recordings of Tony, I love those early recordings just as much as the ones from the 70's. He is an incredibly talented performer who appreciates what was given to him and it shows in the book.

Memories of my teen-age crush on Tony were brought back with a smile when I saw the picture of Tony circa 1975, which was included in the page of pictures. That particular picture was included in the He Don't Love You album and graced the wall beside my pillow as a teen.

The one nitpick, and I don't know where the fault lies would be the editing. I guess when I read a book, I read a book and I noticed them. Other than that it was an enjoyable journey "Halfway to Paradise."

Thanks for sharing...

I must admit that my knowledge of Tony Orlando wasn't much more than watching him on TV in the 70's with Dawn. My husband and I recently went to a concert of his in Connecticut. We loved the concert and were mesmerized by his charismatic showmanship and his energetic style. He is a truly unselfish performer that gives credit and the spotlight to his backups. One young man did a Led Zeppelin number that knocked our socks off. When someone in the audience wanted him to sign their book, I knew it was a book I wanted to read. There was obviously more to him than just "Tying a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."

I found this book to be a real page-turner. Anyone that has an interest in the nostalgic days of music will find themselves engrossed in this honest, well told autobiography. Mr. Orlando's association with the top names in the music industry is a virtual Who's Who. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I found it to be a painfully honest look back at a young man's rise to fame, fall from grace, and his ultimate journey back up the ladder.

Tony Orlando has provided us with a look at his life from growing up near Hell's Kitchen in New York City where he began as a doo wop singer until he settled down in the Ozarks of Missouri during the 21st century. In between Tony relates stories of those who helped to get him started in music such as Don Kirshner located at 1650 Broadway where several music publishers and record companies had their headquarters. His heyday as a performer, of course, was during the mid 1970's when his television show with Dawn was a weekly favorite. Interesting stories regarding guests such as Jackie Gleason, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and others are related in this part of the book. It is also a story of infidelity and heartbreak. The downward spiral began with his introduction to cocaine thanks to the lovable Fred Sanford, Redd Foxx, and the death of close friend Freddie Prinze to a suicide. His experiences at a Massachusetts mental hospital are included along with his assistance to the suffering Murray the K during his final days. However, the story of Tony Orlando has a happy ending to date with his marriage to his present wife and move to Missouri. Each of us are a part of all that we have met and Tony Orlando gives ample credit to those who helped him along the way throughout his life. This is an easy to read book and anyone who enjoyed his television show during the 1970's will enjoy this book. By the way, purchase the DVD set available at Amazon and relive those enjoyable times as well.

I suppose what makes this autobiography of a celebrity different is that is has pretty much a happy ending--Orlando gets over his drug use, gets into a satisfying marriage and seems to be living a happy existence. His popularity doesn't sound to be too much these days, but everyone has to wind down at some point. He's had a moderately successful career and he was very candid and open and so there was nothing really to "read into" his story here. What you read is what it is. It's all true. Just keep the weight off Tony.

When they say, "My life is an open book" they are talking about Tony Orlando. His honesty is refreshing and gives insight to the kind of person he is. One has to remember that although he is a performer, he is a human being first and is therefore given the right of privacy. He did not have to write this book but I am more than happy he did. He has been my hero since I was eight. At thirty-nine, this book has given me a new respect for the person he is. He is as star-struck as anyone of us which lends to his understanding of his fans - fans he calls friends.

I have been lucky--no, make that blessed--to call Tony Orlando a friend. This book justifies my feelings. It is as if he sat down with you and candidly told his life's story. There are so many twists and turns along the way--from his battle with cocaine addiction and the subsequent losses of his best friend and sister to finally finding his princess. He takes you through every up and down of his life. This book makes you want to laugh, and it makes you want to cry. In all, I love it. It is a must-read for anyone who is even remotely familiar with Tony. It will, as it has me, give you a new respect for the man.

Being in the enternainment business for about 40 years, and knowing Tony well, i'm glad that he has created such a wonderful account of his life. He has always been a gentleman, and he shares his pains, his joys, his loves, his losses, and all with that famous twinkle. This book is nothing but pure joy, and the paradise is closer than you think with this man's life. He and Chuck Negron are comeback stories that will teach you alot.