Toni Tennille facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Toni Tennille
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Tennille in 1994
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cathryn Antoinette Tennille |
| Born | May 8, 1940 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, jazz |
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| Years active | 1971–2016 |
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Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, and keyboard player. She is known for her deep singing voice, called a contralto. Toni is most famous as one half of the 1970s music group Captain & Tennille. She formed this group with her former husband, Daryl Dragon. Their most famous song is "Love Will Keep Us Together".
Toni Tennille also created music on her own. She released solo albums and worked as a singer for other artists.
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Early Life
Toni Tennille was born and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama. She has three younger sisters. Her father, Frank, owned a furniture store. He also served in the government for Alabama for a few years. He used to be a singer with a band called Bob-Cats. Toni's mother, also named Cathryn, hosted a daily TV show in Montgomery.
Toni went to Sidney Lanier High School. After that, she studied classical piano at Auburn University in Alabama. She also sang with a local big band called the Auburn Knights.
In 1959, Toni's family moved to Balboa, California. This happened after her father's furniture store closed. There, Toni worked as a file clerk. Later, she became a statistical analyst for a company called North American Rockwell.
Music Career
Starting Out
In the late 1960s, Toni lived in Corona del Mar, California. She was part of a theater group called the South Coast Repertory. In 1969, a director from the group asked Toni to write music. This music was for a new rock musical called Mother Earth.
The musical was very popular in the local area. It then traveled to San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1971. Eventually, it even reached Broadway in New York City in 1972. Toni was credited as the composer for the musical.
In 1971, Toni met Daryl Dragon in San Francisco. This was during auditions for Mother Earth. Daryl had previously toured with the famous band The Beach Boys. He also recorded music with them. After Mother Earth finished, Daryl went back to the Beach Boys. He then introduced Toni to the band. Toni played electric piano with the Beach Boys during their 1972 tour. During this time, she wrote the song "The Way I Want to Touch You".
Captain & Tennille: A Famous Duo
After the Beach Boys tour, Toni and Daryl started performing together. They played as a duo at a restaurant in California. They eventually named their act Captain & Tennille. They paid for the recording of Toni's song "The Way I Want to Touch You" themselves. This song became very popular on a Los Angeles radio station. This led to many offers from record companies. They signed a record contract with A&M Records.
In 1975, their song "Love Will Keep Us Together" became a huge hit. It was the main song from their first album, also called Love Will Keep Us Together. The song topped the Billboard pop chart for four weeks. This started on June 21, 1975. After this success, A&M re-released "The Way I Want to Touch You". This song, written by Toni, became their second number one hit. It topped the Adult Contemporary charts in both the US and Canada.
"Love Will Keep Us Together" was the best-selling single of 1975 in the US. It also won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1976.
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In July 1976, Toni and Daryl were invited to perform at the White House. First Lady Betty Ford invited them. They performed for Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford. This was part of the United States Bicentennial celebration. They were so popular that they got their own TV show. It was called The Captain and Tennille. The show featured Toni and Daryl performing songs and comedy. It aired from September 1976 to March 1977 on ABC.
Over the next few years, Captain & Tennille released many hit songs. These came mostly from their first two albums. These songs included "The Way I Want to Touch You", "Lonely Night (Angel Face)", "Shop Around", and "Muskrat Love". Between 1975 and 1982, Toni recorded seven studio albums with Daryl.
Throughout the 1990s, Toni and Daryl continued to perform concerts. They often played at venues near their home in Nevada. In 2005, they recorded a Christmas song called "Saving Up Christmas". This song was part of a DVD box set. They then released a full Christmas album in 2007. It was called The Secret of Christmas.
Solo Work and Other Projects
Even when Captain & Tennille were very popular, Toni worked as a session singer. She often sang backing vocals for other artists. She sang on Elton John's albums, including his hit song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". She also sang backing vocals for Art Garfunkel and the Beach Boys. She even sang on Pink Floyd's famous album The Wall.
Toni once shared a story about singing on Pink Floyd's album. She went to a Pink Floyd concert. A 15-year-old boy recognized her. He was surprised to see her there. When she told him she sang on their album, he checked the album notes. He then came back and asked for her autograph.
On July 8, 1980, Toni sang the national anthem at a major baseball game. It was the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Los Angeles.
From September 1980 to February 1981, Toni hosted her own TV talk show. It was called The Toni Tennille Show. She also appeared as a guest on the TV show "The Love Boat" twice.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Toni had a successful career singing big band and pop standard songs. She performed with orchestras across the country. She also recorded several solo albums. These included More Than You Know (1984) and All of Me (1987). From 1998 to 1999, Toni starred in the musical Victor/Victoria. She played the main role during its national tour.
In November 2003, Toni performed a concert to raise money for the Reno Chamber Orchestra. Her surprise guest was Daryl Dragon. It was the first time they had performed together publicly in many years. A live recording of this event was released. It was called An Intimate Evening with Toni Tennille.
In April 2016, Toni released her memoir, Toni Tennille: A Memoir. A memoir is a book about a person's life experiences. She went on a book tour to promote it. An audiobook version was also released.
Personal Life
Toni Tennille married her first husband, Kenneth Shearer, in 1962. They divorced in 1972. She married Daryl Dragon on November 11, 1975. They decided to get married partly for tax reasons. In 2007, they moved from Nevada to Arizona. They divorced in July 2014.
In 2015, Toni moved to Florida. She said that Daryl was emotionally distant during their marriage. She felt lonely and isolated. Despite their divorce, Toni and Daryl remained good friends. Toni even returned to Arizona to help Daryl after he had a serious health issue. Daryl passed away on January 2, 2019.
Music Albums
- More Than You Know (Mirage, 1984)
- Moonglow (Purebred, 1986)
- All of Me (Gaia, 1987)
- Do It Again (USA Music Group, 1988)
- Never Let Me Go (Bay Cities, 1991)
- Things Are Swingin (Purebred, 1994)
- Tennille Sings Big Band (Honest, 1996)
- Incurably Romantic (Varèse Sarabande, 2001)
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In Spanish: Toni Tennille para niños
