Ron Dante Biography
Ron Dante is one star in the entertainment business that doesn't need a press agent to hype his many accomplishments. He has a room full of platinum albums and Grammy, Clio and Tony Awards to do his talking for him.
Ron Dante is probably best known for his work as a producer for Barry Manilow, Cher, Dionne Warwick, Pat Benatar, Irene Cara, Ray Charles, John Denver, and other major recording artists.
He was the driving force behind Barry Manilow's greatest successes. Their collaboration spawned one hit after another. Dante produced songs that have become landmarks on the pop music scene including "Mandy," "I Write the Songs," the Grammy winning "Copacabana," "Could It Be Magic" and others.
During a tumultuous decade in the record industry in which many stars faded and new ones flickered, Dante's firm guidance helped Manilow achieve unparalleled success. The Dante produced LPs sold more than 60 million copies, accounting for more than $350 million in retail sales at record stores nationwide.
Pop music fans know Ron Dante as the man who performed the #1 single "Sugar, Sugar" which topped the Top 40 charts for weeks and was voted “Song Of The Year'” in 1969 ... an era dominated by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and hard rock.
Lots of music lovers hum Ron Dante's tunes without even knowing it. Dante was the distinctive singing voice in dozens of radio and TV commercials. He has also worked alongside such other stars as Melissa Manchester, Ashford and Simpson and Luther Vandross.
It's Dante's voice you hear singing "You Deserve A Break Today" for McDonald’s. His voice was heard in spots for Coca Cola, American Airlines, Budweiser and dozens of other well-known products. The production firm Dante established to produce commercials won a Clio for its work for Volkswagen.
Theatergoers know Dante for his work on Broadway. He produced "Ain't Misbehavin',” which earned him a Tony for best musical and "Children Of A Lesser God," which took the Tony for best drama. Dante's stage credits also include "Whose Life Is It Anyway?," "Crimes Of The Heart" and "Duet For One". Dante also turned his attention to the printed word. He served as publisher of the prestigious Paris Review for more than two years.
His recent work includes a collaboration with Barry Manilow, singing background on various tracks for the Concord release of Manilow's Here at the Mayflower. Ron has also released Saturday Night Blast, a collection of classic pop songs along with some new Dante originals. Some of the highlights include “Rockin' Robin" (with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits singing background), "Rock Me Gently" (with writer/performer Andy Kim, who wrote the song, doing background vocals) and "Summer in the City" (featuring Toni Wine, the original female voice of The Archies’ "Sugar, Sugar" singing a duet with Ron.)
For his debut on Digital Musicworks International (DMI), the world’s first full-service, all-digital music label, Ron has produced Rockin’ Christmas Party, Volume 1, featuring himself and such other all-star rock ‘n’ roll hit makers as Lou Christie, Tommy Roe, Gary Lewis, Bobby Vee and Chris Montez. Rockin’ Christmas Party, Volume 1 showcases a sleigh-full of both traditional Christmas songs as well as five new original holiday tunes.
"I never stop keeping busy," Ron says. "My day starts very early and that's okay with me. I enjoy what I do and that makes the long hours and every day worth it."
