Toni Arden

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Antoinette Ardizzone (February 15, 1924 – May 29, 2012), known professionally as Toni Arden, was an American traditional pop music singer.

Family[]

Arden was born in New York City. Her father, Phillip Ardizzone, was a singer with the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala.[1] Her brother, Jan Arden, was also a singer.[2] The siblings teamed up for night club performances in the late 1950s.[3]

Career[]

Early years[]

Arden became a big band singer in the 1940s, singing with Al Trace, Joe Reichman, Ray Bloch and Shep Fields.

Recording[]

She started recording as a soloist in 1946 for the minor National Records company. After her appearance on the early television talent series Doorway to Fame, Arden signed her first solo recording contract with a major record label, Columbia Records, in 1949 (Arden was arguably the only performer out of 20,000 over Doorway to Fame's two-year run on air to become relatively famous); at Columbia, she had several hits including "I Can Dream, Can't I?" (which reached #7 on the Billboard charts), "Too Young" (which reached #15), "Kiss of Fire" (which reached #14) and "I'm Yours" (which reached #24). CD compilations of these earlier recordings can be found on the Sepia Records label[4] and a two-CD set released by Jasmine Records[5]

In the mid-1950s she moved to Decca Records, where her biggest selling record (her only million-seller)[6] was "Padre" in 1958, which peaked at #13.[7] LP albums included "Miss Toni Arden," "Besame!", "Sing a Song of Italy" and "Italian Gold."[8] She sang in both Italian and English.[9] The first two albums have been compiled on a second CD by the Sepia Records label.[10] She also recorded briefly for RCA Victor and Mercury Records. Her last album My World is You (GPRT Records) features the compositions of Gladys Shelley.

Radio[]

In 1954, Arden recorded 13 radio programs for the US Marine Corps via electrical transcription. The Toni Arden Show was broadcast on participating local stations.[11] In 1956, she was featured on an episode of What's New in Music on CBS.[12]

Television[]

Arden appeared on The Music of George Gershwin,[13] ,[14] Dick Clark's program,[15] and The Jimmy Dean Show.[16] She and her brother, Jan, sang two duets on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1959.[17]

Death[]

She died at her home in Lake Worth, Florida, on May 29, 2012 at the age of 88.[18]

Toni Arden was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ Sasso, Joey (November 13, 1950). "Meet Youthful Toni Arden". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. p. 13. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. ^ "TV Questions and Answers". News-Journal. August 24, 1969. p. 8-D. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. ^ Eigen, Jack (March 7, 1959). "Jack Eigen speaking ..." Chicago Daily Tribune.
  4. ^ "THIS IS TONI ARDEN (SEPIA 1050)". Sepiarecords.com. 2005-06-06. Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  5. ^ "Toni ARDEN - I Can Dream, Can''t I?". Jasmine-records.co.uk. 2005-10-21. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  6. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 97. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 42.
  8. ^ "Toni Arden". Saxonyrecordcompany.com. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  9. ^ "Toni Arden-tly Sings". Northwest Arkansas Times. April 19, 1963. p. 7. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. ^ "TONI ARDEN – BESAME, TONI ARDEN IN LATIN AMERICA (SEPIA 1188)". Sepiarecords.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  11. ^ "Toni Arden Will Be Heard Here". The Daily Mail. May 1, 1954. p. 10. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  12. ^ "Distinguished Cast On KYFO Today; Excitement Surrounded SWC Session". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. May 20, 1956. p. Page 4, Sec. VI. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  13. ^ Lester, John (May 17, 1956). "Radio and Television". The Gazette and Daily. p. 27. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  14. ^ "TV Key". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 11, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  15. ^ "Viewing Screens". The Pocono Record. June 14, 1958. p. 11. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  16. ^ Alber, David O. (October 26, 1958). "TV Quiz". Waco Tribune-Herald. p. 43. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. ^ "Jane Russell Guests On Sullivan Show". The Daily Capital News. August 8, 1959. p. 10. Retrieved May 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  18. ^ "Area Deaths". The Palm Beach Post. June 2, 2012.
  19. ^ Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.

External links[]

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