American pop group, Tony Orlando and Dawn, was formed in 1970. The group consisted of singer Tony Orlando (born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis on April 3, 1944) and the backing vocalists Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. Orlando initially gained moderate chart success in the 1960s with three Top 40 hits as part of the studio group Wind. His breakthrough came when he produced "Candida", a song that had been rejected by other producers. Released under the name Dawn to avoid conflicts of interest, the track reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 in 1970. The group's first album, Candida, released later that year, included the hit song "Knock Three Times". Hopkins and Wilson joined Orlando as Dawn in 1971, and their next major hit was "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree" in 1973, which became their most successful single. The group released several albums, including Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando (1971), Tuneweaving (1973), Dawn's New Ragtime Follies (1973) and Skybird (1975). They had a television variety show on CBS from 1974 to 1976, which featured their hit singles "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" and "Mornin' Beautiful". The group disbanded in 1977 after releasing their final single "Sing" that year, returning briefly in 1991 with "With Ev'ry Yellow Ribbon (That's Why We Tie 'Em)".
