Tony Orlando and Dawn kicked off the stage by the real Tony Orlando and Dawn. Curiously, Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" immediately preceded Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" at the pole position of the Hot 100 in April 1973. They re-formed in 1988 for a five-week tour that wound up lasting into 1993, with Pamela Vincent finally becoming a visible Dawn member, stepping in whenever Hopkins was fulfilling her acting/television obligations. Orlando is still a popular appearance performer on tour regularly with the Lefty Brothers and Toni Wine. Hopkins made a very successful acting career
Tony Orlando that followed Watergate. He represented simple, traditional values, a conservative return to pure entertainment. He drew a happy face in the "O" of his autograph. It was not terribly cool, but America loved him." The "Tony Orlando and Dawn" Show on CBS became a hit, a summer replacement for the "Sonny & Cher" show, and ran for four seasons from 1973 to 1976. It welcomed the biggest names in show business each week as Orlando's guests, including his boyhood idols, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Lewis. At the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Orlando danced to the tune