Vic Dana, born Samuel Mendola on 26 August 1942 in Buffalo, New York, was a traditional pop singer, dancer, and actor. At age eleven, Vic Dana's tap dancing talent was clocked by Sammy Davis Jr., who advised his family to move to Los Angeles for further training as a performer. In the early 1960s, he began focusing on a solo singing career after initially pursuing dance. His breakthrough came with the release of "Little Altar Boy" in November 1961, which reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout his career, Vic Dana had 15 titles charting in the Hot 100, including his most successful single, "Red Roses for a Blue Lady", which peaked at number 10 in 1965. Initially signed to Dolton Records, he later moved to Liberty Records after it acquired Dolton. His final notable success was with "Lay Me Down" in 1976, which reached number 20 on the easy listening charts. Vic Dana's career spanned over a decade, marked by collaborations and chart successes that solidified his place in traditional pop music.
