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			{{Distinguish\|Tenille Townes\|Tenille Arts}}
	'''Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille''' (b. ] ], ]) is one-half of the ] Grammy Award winning ], ]. <ref name="IMDB">{{cite web \| url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0855120/bio \| title=Biography for Toni Tennille \| author=IMDB \| date=2008-02-07 \| publisher=The Internet Movie Database \| accessdate=2008-02-07 }}</ref>
			{{short description\|American singer}}
			{{Use mdy dates\|date=December 2022}}
			{{Infobox musical artist
			\| name = Toni Tennille
			\| image = Toni Tenille 1996.jpg
			\| caption = Tennille in 1994
			\| birth_name = Cathryn Antoinette Tennille
			\| birth_date = {{birth date and age\|1940\|05\|08}}
			\| birth_place = ], U.S.
			\| years_active = 1971–2016
			\| genre = ], jazz
			\| occupation = {{hlist\|Singer\|songwriter\|musician}}
			\| instrument = {{hlist\|Vocals\|keyboards}}
			\| label = {{hlist\|]\|]}}
			\| past_member_of = ]
			}}

			'''Cathryn Antoinette''' "'''Toni'''" '''Tennille'''<ref name="GT" /> (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A ], she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo ] with her former husband ]; their signature song is "]".<ref>{{cite web\|title=An MP misses a 'million-dollar' photo op, and 'Captain' Dragon and Toni Tennille call it quits\|url=http://www.macleans.ca/politics/an-mp-misses-a-million-dollar-photo-op-and-captain-dragon-and-toni-tennille-call-it-quits/#fsk_splitbox\|website=Maclean's\|date=January 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|title=Love Will Keep Us Together\|url=http://www.superseventies.com/1975_1singles.html\|website=Super Seventies\|access-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref>
			Tennille also performed musical work independently of Dragon, including solo albums and session work.

			==Early life ==
			Tennille was born and raised in ], and has three younger sisters.<ref name="JH" />{{rp\|2}} Her father Frank owned a furniture store and also served in the ] from 1951 to 1954.<ref name="JH" />{{rp\|2}} He had been a singer with ]'s Bob-Cats. For five years, her mother, also named Cathryn (née Wright), hosted a daily television show in Montgomery.<ref name="GT" /><ref name="People">{{cite magazine\|last=Windeler\|first=Robert\|url=http://people.com/archive/cover-story-year-of-the-dragons-vol-6-no-16/\|title=Year of the Dragons\|date=October 18, 1976\|magazine=]\|access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Tennille \|first1=Toni \|title=WMAQ Channel 5 - The Toni Tennille Show - "Peaches and Herb" (Complete Broadcast, 12/24/1980) \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R27-zImo5ow \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/R27-zImo5ow \|archive-date=December 21, 2021 \|url-status=live\|website=YouTube \|publisher=The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV) \|access-date=November 14, 2019 \|location=35:44–35:52 mark (timestamp) \|date=December 24, 1980 \|quote=In Montgomery, Alabama, on WSFA TV... mother had a talk show and she was on for five years. She produced her own show and she was the star of it and it was on live everyday.}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

			Tennille graduated from ] and then for two years attended ] in Alabama,<ref name="GT">{{cite news\|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->\|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19800804&id=lBwpAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,589669\|title=Toni recalls days in Alabama\|date=August 4, 1980\|newspaper=]\|via=]\|agency=]\|access-date=October 20, 2016}}</ref> where she studied classical piano and sang with a local big band, the Auburn Knights.

			In 1959, after her father's furniture store failed, Tennille's family moved from Montgomery to ], where she worked first as a ] and then as a ] for ].<ref name="JH" />{{rp\|2}}

			==Career==
			===Early career===
			While living in ] in ], during the late 1960s, Tennille was a member of the ]. Ron Thronsen, one of the directors of the repertory, asked Tennille in 1969 to write the music for a new rock musical he was working on called ''Mother Earth''. The musical was a success locally, went on the road to San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1971, and eventually made it to ] for a few dates at the ] in October 1972. Although Tennille was no longer associated with the musical by the time it reached Broadway, she was credited as the composer under her married name, Shearer.<ref name="MCS">{{cite news \| last=Smith \| first=Mark Chalon \| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-15-ca-22822-story.html \| title=Touring Is Such a Drag \| date=September 15, 1998 \| newspaper=] \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref><ref name="BB">{{cite magazine \| author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line--> \| url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/298650/captain-tennille/biography \| title=Artists: Captain & Tennille \| magazine=] \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine \| last=Barret \| first=Lawrence I. \| author-link=Laurence I. Barrett \| url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942606,00.html \| title=The Theater: Life-Giving Illusion \| date=November 6, 1972 \| magazine=] \|url-access=subscription \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.playbill.com/production/mother-earth-belasco-theatre-vault-0000010790 \| title=Mother Earth \| website=] \| date=October 19, 1972 \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref>

			In 1971, Tennille met her future husband ] in San Francisco during auditions for ''Mother Earth''.<ref name="MCS" /> Dragon had previously toured with ] and had recorded with them as a studio musician. After ''Mother Earth'' ended, Dragon returned to the Beach Boys and introduced Tennille to the band.<ref name="BB" /> Tennille played ] with the band during their 1972 tour,<ref name="People" /> and it is during this time that Tennille composed "]".

			===Captain & Tennille===
			{{main\|Captain & Tennille}}
			]
			After the conclusion of the Beach Boys tour, Tennille and Dragon began performing as a duo at a restaurant in Encino, California, eventually naming the act Captain & Tennille. They self-financed the recording of Tennille's song "The Way I Want to Touch You", and the song became popular on a Los Angeles radio station, leading to several offers from record companies and a ] with ].<ref>{{cite book\|last=Fuqua\|first=Christopher S.\|title=Music Fell on Alabama: The Muscle Shoals Sound That Shook the World\|publisher=New South Books\|date=2004\|location=Montgomery, Alabama, US\|page=132\|isbn=1-58838-157-9}}</ref>

			In 1975, ] from the duo's debut ], '']'' topped the ''Billboard'' ] for four weeks starting June 21, 1975. Following the success of "Love Will Keep Us Together", A&M re-released the Tennille-penned "The Way I Want to Touch You" in September 1975, with the song becoming the duo's second #1 hit on the ] charts of both the US and Canada.<ref>{{cite book \|title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001\|last=Whitburn \|first=Joel \|author-link=Joel Whitburn \|year=2002 \|publisher=Record Research \|page=45}}</ref><ref></ref>

			"Love Will Keep Us Together" topped the ]. In the US it was the best-selling single of 1975.<ref>Hyatt, Wesley. ''The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits'', Billboard Books, 1999, p. 166.</ref> "Love Will Keep Us Together" won the ] (1975) for ] on February 28, 1976.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/18th-annual-grammy-awards \|title=Winners - 18th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1975) \|publisher=] \|year=1975 \|access-date=March 20, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/videos/captain-tennille-win-record-year \|title=Captain & Tennille Win Record Of The Year \|publisher=] \|date=February 28, 1976 \|access-date=March 20, 2019 }}</ref>

			] in 1976]]
			In July 1976, Tennille and Dragon were invited by First Lady ] to perform in the East Room of the ] in the presence of Queen ] and President ] as part of the ] celebration. Such was the level of their popularity that they were given their own television ], ''The Captain and Tennille'', which featured Tennille and Dragon performing musical numbers and comedy sketches with various guest stars. The show aired from September 1976 to March 1977 on ].<ref name="TV Guide">{{cite web \|title=1976-77 Ratings History \|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/1976-77-ratings-history.html \|publisher=TV Ratings Guide \|access-date=27 August 2023}}</ref>

			Over the next few years, Captain & Tennille released a string of hit singles mostly from their first two albums ''Love Will Keep Us Together'' (US #2, 1975) and ''Song Of Joy'' (US #9, 1976) including "]" (US #4), "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" (US #3), "]" (US #4), and "]" (US #4). Between 1975 and 1982, Tennille would record seven studio albums with the duo.

			Throughout the 1990s, Tennille and Dragon continued to perform various concert dates at venues around the world, frequently at ] and ], which were located close to their home near ].

			In 2005, she recorded the Christmas song "Saving Up Christmas" with Dragon as Captain & Tennille, and the song was included in ''The Ultimate Collection'' DVD box set. This was followed by a full-length Christmas album titled '']'', released in 2007.

			===Solo career===
			During the duo's period of highest popularity, Tennille also worked as a ] (most frequently partnered with the Beach Boys' ]), performing as a ] on the ] albums '']'',<ref name="People" /> '']'', and '']'' (some vocally arranged by Dragon) and most notably on the hit track "]". She also appeared as a backing vocalist on tracks by ] and the Beach Boys, as well as ] for whom she performed backing vocals on '']''.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.pinkfloyd.com/music/musicians_studio.php \| title=Musicians (Studio) \| website=] \| publisher=] \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \| last=Blake \| first=Mark \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKXhLoWCPQ8C&q=toni+Tennille \| title=Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd \| year=2008 \| publisher=] \| pages=270–271 \| via=] \| isbn=978-0-306-81752-6 \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref> In the liner notes of the Captain & Tennille anthology ''Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits'', Tennille explains how her work on Pink Floyd's album gained her at least one new fan:

			{{blockquote\|I went to see the Pink Floyd concert at the Sports Arena in ]. There was a 15-year-old boy sitting in front of me who recognized me. He turned around and snottily said, 'What are YOU doing here?' So I told him I sang on the album. He ran off to find a friend who had brought the LP to the show, and looked at the back to see if my name was really on there. A few minutes later, he came back and apologetically said, 'Can I have your autograph?'
			\|Tennille\|Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits}}

			On July 8, 1980, Tennille sang the ] at the ] ] game at ] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite book \| title=World's Strangest Baseball Stories \| first=Bart \| last=Rockwell \| year=1993 \| publisher=Watermill Press \| isbn=978-0-816-72850-3 \| page=42}}</ref>

			Following a December 1979 ], from September 1980 to February 1981 Tennille hosted her own syndicated television ], ''The Toni Tennille Show''.<ref>{{cite web \| title=''The Toni Tennille Show'' - Episode Guide \| url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-toni-tennille-show/episodes/ \| publisher=TV.com \| access-date=February 20, 2017 \| quote=The Toni Tenille Show (ended 1981). Air date: September 15, 1980 (Episode 1). \| archive-date=February 21, 2017 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010248/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-toni-tennille-show/episodes/ \| url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|author1=Rina Fox \|title=CTVA US Talk/Variety - "The Toni Tennille Show" (Synd)(1980-81) \|url=http://ctva.biz/US/MusicVariety/ToniTennilleShow.htm \|website=ctva \|access-date=May 30, 2019 \|language=en \|date=March 2019 \|quote=Daily Monday to Fridays Daytime 4-5pm, Hour long program (15-Sep-1980 to 27-Feb-1981)}}</ref> She also made two guest appearances on "]": ] Episode 6, which aired on October 21, 1978, and ] Episode 28 which aired on May 16, 1981.{{Citation needed\|date=June 2024}}

			Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Tennille enjoyed a second career as a ] and ] singer, similar to pop colleague ]. She performed with orchestras throughout the country and subsequently recorded several solo albums including ''More Than You Know'' (Mirage Records, 1984), and ''All of Me'' (Gaia Records, 1987). From September 1998 to June 1999, Tennille starred in the lead role of Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski in the ] of the ] musical '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine \| last=Lefkowitz \| first=David \| url=http://www.playbill.com/article/toni-tennille-vic-vic-tour-announces-1999-dates-com-76743 \| title=Toni Tennille Vic/Vic Tour Announces 1999 Dates \| date=August 1, 1998 \| magazine=] \| access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref>

			In November 2003, Tennille performed a ] for the ] ], where her surprise guest was Dragon. It was the first time they had publicly performed as Captain & Tennille in many years. Their first live recording, ''An Intimate Evening with Toni Tennille'', was released to commemorate the event.

			In April 2016, Tennille released her ], ''Toni Tennille: A Memoir'', and went on a book tour to promote it later that summer.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.villages-news.com/captain-tennille-fans-enjoy-musical-memories-singer-villages \| title=Captain and Tennille fans enjoy musical memories with singer in Villages \| first=Angela \| last=Love \| website=Villages-News.com \| location=] \| date=July 9, 2016 \| access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \| last1=Tennille \| first1=Toni \| title=''Toni Tennille: A Memoir'' – coming soon! \| url=http://www.tonitennille.net/blog/2015/10/23/toni-tennille-a-memoir-coming-soon \| website=ToniTennille.net \| access-date=April 10, 2016 \| language=en \| date=October 23, 2015}}</ref> An ] of the memoir was also released on the audiobook service ].<ref>{{cite web \| title=Behind the Scenes with Toni Tennille, Author and Narrator of ''Toni Tennille: A Memoir'' \| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Hfe63qBXk \| website=youtube.com \| publisher=Audible \| access-date=April 10, 2016 \| date=April 4, 2016 \| quote=Go into the studio with Toni Tennille as she performs her memoir and shares stories of her life in music.}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links\|date=February 2022}}</ref>

			=={{anchor\|Divorce}} Personal life ==
			Tennille married her first husband, former drummer Kenneth Shearer, in June 1962 at the age of 22.<ref name="People" /> They divorced in late 1972. She married ] on November 11, 1975.<ref name=":0">{{cite web \| url=http://www.today.com/popculture/toni-tennille-reveals-personal-reason-why-she-divorced-daryl-dragon-t85916 \| title=Toni Tennille reveals the personal reason why she divorced Daryl Dragon\| first=Randee \| last=Dawn \| work=] \| date=April 24, 2016 \| access-date=April 25, 2017}}</ref> Tennille stated that their accountant told them they would do "a lot better with taxes" if they were married.<ref name=":0" /> In 2007, the couple moved from ], to ]. They divorced in July 2014.

			In 2015, Tennille moved to Florida at the suggestion of her sister Jane.<ref>{{cite web \| title=Coming Home \| url=https://www.tonitennille.net/blog/2015/9/30/coming-home \| first=Toni \| last=Tennille \| website=ToniTennille.net \| date=September 30, 2015 \| access-date=October 7, 2015}}</ref> During the promotion of her autobiography on '']'' in the spring of 2016, Tennille said the reason for their divorce was Dragon's "inability to be affectionate."<ref name=":0"/> In her memoir, Tennille revealed that despite their success and public image of a solid marriage, she was lonely and isolated. Dragon had been controlling and emotionally distant; throughout their relationship they slept in separate bedrooms. "I can say without exaggeration that he showed no physical affection for me during our very long marriage," she said.<ref>{{Cite news\|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/toni-tennille-her-happy-marriage-with-the-captain-was-a-lie/2016/04/06/73856200-fc34-11e5-9140-e61d062438bb_story.html\|title='Toni Tennille': Her happy marriage with the Captain was a lie\|last=Chaney\|first=Jen\|date=April 6, 2016\|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> She reported that Dragon reacted positively to her memoir and the revelation by saying, "I saw you on ''The Today Show''. I was proud of you."<ref>{{cite web \| last1=Tennille \| first1=Toni \| title=TONI TENNILLE! Love Will Keep Us Together! Creative Arts Emmys 2016 \| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjW8lZ30b64 \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/mjW8lZ30b64 \|archive-date=December 21, 2021 \|url-status=live\| website=YouTube.com \| publisher=LGBT Hollywood \| access-date=May 11, 2016 \| date=May 7, 2016 \| quote=But I do know this... He said 'I saw you on ''The Today Show''. I was proud of you.' And Caroline was with me in the back of the car and we both kinda teared up a bit. He is proud of me, and he's proud of the music.}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

			Following their divorce, Tennille and Dragon remained friends until his death from ] on January 2, 2019.<ref> NBC Miami, January 2, 2019</ref> Dragon stated in a February 2017 interview with '']'' that Tennille had returned to Arizona to assist him following a serious health-related incident he had experienced the previous year.<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Chiu\|first1=Melody\|title=Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tennille Clears Up Rumors About His Health: 'I Am Not Under Hospice Care'\|url=http://people.com/music/captain-tennille-daryl-dragon-not-hospice-care/\|website=PEOPLE.com\|access-date=August 16, 2017\|date=February 11, 2017}}</ref>

			==Discography==
			===Studio albums===
			* ''More Than You Know'' (Mirage, 1984)<ref name="JH">{{cite news\|last=Herman\|first=Jan\|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-10-ca-1694-story.html\|title=Toni Tennille: No Hits but 'Always Sold Out'\|date=April 10, 1988\|newspaper=]\|quote=In fact, her two latest albums--"More Than You Know" (1984) and "All of Me" (1987)--feature jazz-oriented renditions of Tin Pan Alley tunes from the '30s and '40s.\|access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref>
			* ''Moonglow'' (Purebred, 1986)
			* ''All of Me'' (Gaia, 1987)<ref name="JH" />
			* ''Do It Again'' (USA Music Group, 1988) <ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.discogs.com/Toni-Tennille-Do-It-Again/master/1053421\|title= Toni Tennille – Do It Again\|work=Discogs\|date= November 13, 1988}}</ref>
			* ''Never Let Me Go'' (Bay Cities, 1991)
			* ''Things Are Swingin'' (Purebred, 1994)<ref>{{cite news\|last=Giuliano\|first=Mike\|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/05/17/now-tennille-looks-to-big-band-era-for-love-songs/ \|title=Now Tennille looks to big-band era for love songs\|date=May 17, 1994\|newspaper=]\|quote=With several big band albums to her credit, including the just-released Things Are Swingin (...)\|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref>
			* ''Tennille Sings Big Band'' (Honest, 1996)
			* ''Incurably Romantic'' (], 2001)<ref>{{cite news\|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->\|url=http://lasvegassun.com/news/2001/apr/06/toni-toni-toni/\|title=Toni, Toni, Toni \|date=April 6, 2001\|newspaper=]\|quote='Incurably Romantic,' her latest CD, featuring old love-song standards written by artists such as the Gershwins and Sammy Cahn, is scheduled for release in May.\|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref>

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

	==~~See also~~==		===Bibliography===
			*{{cite book\|last1=Tennille\|first1=Toni\|last2=Tennille-St. Clair\|first2=Caroline\|title=Toni Tennille: A Memoir \|year=2016\|publisher=]\|isbn=978-1-6307-6174-5}}
	*]

			==External links==
			{{Commons category}}
			*{{Official website\|http://www.tonitennille.net/}}
			*{{discogs artist\|artist=Toni-Tennille\|name=Toni Tennille}}
			*{{AllMusic\|class=artist\|id=mn0000936232}}

			{{Captain & Tennille}}
			{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year}}

			{{Authority control}}

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennille, Toni}}
	{{US-pop-singer-stub}}
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Latest revision as of 00:55, 16 November 2024

Not to be confused with Tenille Townes or Tenille Arts. American singer

Toni Tennille
Tennille in 1994
Background information
Birth name	Cathryn Antoinette Tennille
Born	(1940-05-08) May 8, 1940 (age 84) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	Pop, jazz
Occupations	Singer songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals keyboards
Years active	1971–2016
Labels	A&M Casablanca
Formerly of	Captain & Tennille

Musical artist

Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A contralto, she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song is "Love Will Keep Us Together". Tennille also performed musical work independently of Dragon, including solo albums and session work.

Early life

Tennille was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, and has three younger sisters. Her father Frank owned a furniture store and also served in the Alabama Legislature from 1951 to 1954. He had been a singer with Bob Crosby's Bob-Cats. For five years, her mother, also named Cathryn (née Wright), hosted a daily television show in Montgomery.

Tennille graduated from Sidney Lanier High School and then for two years attended Auburn University in Alabama, where she studied classical piano and sang with a local big band, the Auburn Knights.

In 1959, after her father's furniture store failed, Tennille's family moved from Montgomery to Balboa, California, where she worked first as a file clerk and then as a statistical analyst for North American Rockwell Corporation.

Career

Early career

While living in Corona del Mar in Newport Beach, California, during the late 1960s, Tennille was a member of the South Coast Repertory. Ron Thronsen, one of the directors of the repertory, asked Tennille in 1969 to write the music for a new rock musical he was working on called Mother Earth. The musical was a success locally, went on the road to San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1971, and eventually made it to Broadway for a few dates at the Belasco Theatre in October 1972. Although Tennille was no longer associated with the musical by the time it reached Broadway, she was credited as the composer under her married name, Shearer.

In 1971, Tennille met her future husband Daryl Dragon in San Francisco during auditions for Mother Earth. Dragon had previously toured with The Beach Boys and had recorded with them as a studio musician. After Mother Earth ended, Dragon returned to the Beach Boys and introduced Tennille to the band. Tennille played electric piano with the band during their 1972 tour, and it is during this time that Tennille composed "The Way I Want to Touch You".

Captain & Tennille

Main article: Captain & Tennille

After the conclusion of the Beach Boys tour, Tennille and Dragon began performing as a duo at a restaurant in Encino, California, eventually naming the act Captain & Tennille. They self-financed the recording of Tennille's song "The Way I Want to Touch You", and the song became popular on a Los Angeles radio station, leading to several offers from record companies and a record contract with A&M Records.

In 1975, the title track from the duo's debut studio album, Love Will Keep Us Together topped the Billboard pop chart for four weeks starting June 21, 1975. Following the success of "Love Will Keep Us Together", A&M re-released the Tennille-penned "The Way I Want to Touch You" in September 1975, with the song becoming the duo's second #1 hit on the Adult Contemporary charts of both the US and Canada.

"Love Will Keep Us Together" topped the 1975 year-end chart. In the US it was the best-selling single of 1975. "Love Will Keep Us Together" won the Grammy Award (1975) for Record of the Year on February 28, 1976.

In July 1976, Tennille and Dragon were invited by First Lady Betty Ford to perform in the East Room of the White House in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration. Such was the level of their popularity that they were given their own television variety show, The Captain and Tennille, which featured Tennille and Dragon performing musical numbers and comedy sketches with various guest stars. The show aired from September 1976 to March 1977 on ABC.

Over the next few years, Captain & Tennille released a string of hit singles mostly from their first two albums Love Will Keep Us Together (US #2, 1975) and Song Of Joy (US #9, 1976) including "The Way I Want to Touch You" (US #4), "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" (US #3), "Shop Around" (US #4), and "Muskrat Love" (US #4). Between 1975 and 1982, Tennille would record seven studio albums with the duo.

Throughout the 1990s, Tennille and Dragon continued to perform various concert dates at venues around the world, frequently at Harrah's Lake Tahoe and Harrah's Reno, which were located close to their home near Carson City, Nevada.

In 2005, she recorded the Christmas song "Saving Up Christmas" with Dragon as Captain & Tennille, and the song was included in The Ultimate Collection DVD box set. This was followed by a full-length Christmas album titled The Secret of Christmas, released in 2007.

Solo career

During the duo's period of highest popularity, Tennille also worked as a session singer (most frequently partnered with the Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston), performing as a backing vocalist on the Elton John albums Caribou, Blue Moves, and 21 at 33 (some vocally arranged by Dragon) and most notably on the hit track "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". She also appeared as a backing vocalist on tracks by Art Garfunkel and the Beach Boys, as well as Pink Floyd for whom she performed backing vocals on The Wall. In the liner notes of the Captain & Tennille anthology Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits, Tennille explains how her work on Pink Floyd's album gained her at least one new fan:

I went to see the Pink Floyd concert at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. There was a 15-year-old boy sitting in front of me who recognized me. He turned around and snottily said, 'What are YOU doing here?' So I told him I sang on the album. He ran off to find a friend who had brought the LP to the show, and looked at the back to see if my name was really on there. A few minutes later, he came back and apologetically said, 'Can I have your autograph?'
— Tennille, Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits

On July 8, 1980, Tennille sang the national anthem at the Major League Baseball All-Star game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Following a December 1979 pilot, from September 1980 to February 1981 Tennille hosted her own syndicated television talk show, The Toni Tennille Show. She also made two guest appearances on "The Love Boat": Season 2 Episode 6, which aired on October 21, 1978, and Season 4 Episode 28 which aired on May 16, 1981.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Tennille enjoyed a second career as a big band and pop standard singer, similar to pop colleague Linda Ronstadt. She performed with orchestras throughout the country and subsequently recorded several solo albums including More Than You Know (Mirage Records, 1984), and All of Me (Gaia Records, 1987). From September 1998 to June 1999, Tennille starred in the lead role of Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski in the national tour of the Broadway musical Victor/Victoria.

In November 2003, Tennille performed a benefit concert for the Reno, Nevada Chamber Orchestra, where her surprise guest was Dragon. It was the first time they had publicly performed as Captain & Tennille in many years. Their first live recording, An Intimate Evening with Toni Tennille, was released to commemorate the event.

In April 2016, Tennille released her memoir, Toni Tennille: A Memoir, and went on a book tour to promote it later that summer. An audiobook of the memoir was also released on the audiobook service Audible.

Personal life

Tennille married her first husband, former drummer Kenneth Shearer, in June 1962 at the age of 22. They divorced in late 1972. She married Daryl Dragon on November 11, 1975. Tennille stated that their accountant told them they would do "a lot better with taxes" if they were married. In 2007, the couple moved from Reno, Nevada, to Prescott, Arizona. They divorced in July 2014.

In 2015, Tennille moved to Florida at the suggestion of her sister Jane. During the promotion of her autobiography on The Today Show in the spring of 2016, Tennille said the reason for their divorce was Dragon's "inability to be affectionate." In her memoir, Tennille revealed that despite their success and public image of a solid marriage, she was lonely and isolated. Dragon had been controlling and emotionally distant; throughout their relationship they slept in separate bedrooms. "I can say without exaggeration that he showed no physical affection for me during our very long marriage," she said. She reported that Dragon reacted positively to her memoir and the revelation by saying, "I saw you on The Today Show. I was proud of you."

Following their divorce, Tennille and Dragon remained friends until his death from kidney failure on January 2, 2019. Dragon stated in a February 2017 interview with People that Tennille had returned to Arizona to assist him following a serious health-related incident he had experienced the previous year.

Discography

Studio 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)

References

^ "Toni recalls days in Alabama". The Gadsden Times. Associated Press. August 4, 1980. Retrieved October 20, 2016 – via Google News.
"An MP misses a 'million-dollar' photo op, and 'Captain' Dragon and Toni Tennille call it quits". Maclean's. January 29, 2014.
"Love Will Keep Us Together". Super Seventies. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^ Herman, Jan (April 10, 1988). "Toni Tennille: No Hits but 'Always Sold Out'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2016. In fact, her two latest albums--"More Than You Know" (1984) and "All of Me" (1987)--feature jazz-oriented renditions of Tin Pan Alley tunes from the '30s and '40s.
^ Windeler, Robert (October 18, 1976). "Year of the Dragons". People. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Tennille, Toni (December 24, 1980). "WMAQ Channel 5 - The Toni Tennille Show - "Peaches and Herb" (Complete Broadcast, 12/24/1980)". YouTube. 35:44–35:52 mark (timestamp): The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV). Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2019. In Montgomery, Alabama, on WSFA TV... mother had a talk show and she was on for five years. She produced her own show and she was the star of it and it was on live everyday.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^ Smith, Mark Chalon (September 15, 1998). "Touring Is Such a Drag". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
^ "Artists: Captain & Tennille". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Barret, Lawrence I. (November 6, 1972). "The Theater: Life-Giving Illusion". Time. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
"Mother Earth". Playbill. October 19, 1972. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Fuqua, Christopher S. (2004). Music Fell on Alabama: The Muscle Shoals Sound That Shook the World. Montgomery, Alabama, US: New South Books. p. 132. ISBN 1-58838-157-9.
Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 45.
RPM Adult Contemporary, December 20, 1975
Hyatt, Wesley. The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits, Billboard Books, 1999, p. 166.
"Winners - 18th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1975)". The Recording Academy. 1975. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
"Captain & Tennille Win Record Of The Year". The Recording Academy. February 28, 1976. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
"1976-77 Ratings History". TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
"Musicians (Studio)". Pink Floyd. Warner Music UK. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Blake, Mark (2008). Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd. Da Capo Press. pp. 270–271. ISBN 978-0-306-81752-6. Retrieved October 21, 2016 – via Google Books.
Rockwell, Bart (1993). World's Strangest Baseball Stories. Watermill Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-816-72850-3.
"The Toni Tennille Show - Episode Guide". TV.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017. The Toni Tenille Show (ended 1981). Air date: September 15, 1980 (Episode 1).
Rina Fox (March 2019). "CTVA US Talk/Variety - "The Toni Tennille Show" (Synd)(1980-81)". ctva. Retrieved May 30, 2019. Daily Monday to Fridays Daytime 4-5pm, Hour long program (15-Sep-1980 to 27-Feb-1981)
Lefkowitz, David (August 1, 1998). "Toni Tennille Vic/Vic Tour Announces 1999 Dates". Playbill. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Love, Angela (July 9, 2016). "Captain and Tennille fans enjoy musical memories with singer in Villages". Villages-News.com. The Villages, Florida. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
Tennille, Toni (October 23, 2015). "Toni Tennille: A Memoir – coming soon!". ToniTennille.net. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
"Behind the Scenes with Toni Tennille, Author and Narrator of Toni Tennille: A Memoir". youtube.com. Audible. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016. Go into the studio with Toni Tennille as she performs her memoir and shares stories of her life in music.
^ Dawn, Randee (April 24, 2016). "Toni Tennille reveals the personal reason why she divorced Daryl Dragon". Today. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
Tennille, Toni (September 30, 2015). "Coming Home". ToniTennille.net. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
Chaney, Jen (April 6, 2016). "'Toni Tennille': Her happy marriage with the Captain was a lie". The Washington Post.
Tennille, Toni (May 7, 2016). "TONI TENNILLE! Love Will Keep Us Together! Creative Arts Emmys 2016". YouTube.com. LGBT Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2016. But I do know this... He said 'I saw you on The Today Show. I was proud of you.' And Caroline was with me in the back of the car and we both kinda teared up a bit. He is proud of me, and he's proud of the music.
Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tennille Dies at 76 NBC Miami, January 2, 2019
Chiu, Melody (February 11, 2017). "Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tennille Clears Up Rumors About His Health: 'I Am Not Under Hospice Care'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
"Toni Tennille – Do It Again". Discogs. November 13, 1988.
Giuliano, Mike (May 17, 1994). "Now Tennille looks to big-band era for love songs". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 22, 2016. With several big band albums to her credit, including the just-released Things Are Swingin (...)
"Toni, Toni, Toni". Las Vegas Sun. April 6, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2016. 'Incurably Romantic,' her latest CD, featuring old love-song standards written by artists such as the Gershwins and Sammy Cahn, is scheduled for release in May.

Bibliography

Tennille, Toni; Tennille-St. Clair, Caroline (2016). Toni Tennille: A Memoir. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-6307-6174-5.

External links

v t e Captain & Tennille
Daryl Dragon Toni Tennille
Albums	Love Will Keep Us Together Song of Joy Come In from the Rain Dream Make Your Move Keeping Our Love Warm More Than Dancing The Secret of Christmas
Singles	"Love Will Keep Us Together" "The Way I Want to Touch You" "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" "Shop Around" "Muskrat Love" "Can't Stop Dancin'" "I'm on My Way" "Do That to Me One More Time" "Happy Together (A Fantasy)"
Songs	"Disney Girls" "Cuddle Up" "God Only Knows" "I Write the Songs" "Wedding Song (There Is Love)" "Don't Call It Love" "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" "Since I Fell for You" "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" "Nobody Does It Better" "Wind Beneath My Wings" "Save the Best for Last"
Related topics	Discography Carmen Dragon The Beach Boys

v t e Grammy Award for Record of the Year
1950s	"Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (1958) "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)
1960s	"Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1960) "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1961) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1963) "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1964) "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1967) "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1968) "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973) "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1974) "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1975) "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1976) "Hotel California" – Eagles (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1981) "Rosanna" – Toto (1982) "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1984) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985) "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986) "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1989)
1990s	"Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1990) "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992) "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1993) "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995) "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998) "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000) "Walk On" – U2 (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2002) "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003) "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2004) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2007) "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2008) "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011) "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012) "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2014) "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015) "Hello" – Adele (2016) "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	"Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2021) "About Damn Time" by Lizzo (2022) "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2023)

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