I am reposting this review from my main blog because it involves a music act from the 70s and 80s.
I just finished reading Toni Tennille: A Memoir, the life story of singer, songwriter, and actress Toni Tennille, who is best known as half of the 70s pop duo, Captain and Tennille. As a bonafide child of the 70s, music by Captain and Tennille was part of my early soundtrack. Their cover version of Neil Sedaka's "Love Will Keep Us Together" was a huge hit in 1975. I grew up hearing it on the radio and at my Aunt Gayle and Uncle Brownlee's house. Brownlee is my dad's younger brother and a musician; he always had hipper musical tastes than my dad did.
Captain and Tennille also had a popular variety show on ABC that aired for one season. I never saw their show because besides being very young in 1976, I was also living in England. As Toni Tennille explains it, in those days TV wasn't as global as it is now. She and her famous ex husband, Daryl Dragon (aka the Captain), were able to travel to Scotland on vacation and not be recognized by leagues of adoring fans.
Anyway, I decided to read Toni Tennille's story when I read an article about her online. She and Daryl Dragon got divorced not long ago. They had been married for 39 years and both are in their golden years. I was curious about that, but I also admire Toni Tennille's talents as a musician. So I downloaded the book, which Tennille wrote with help from her niece, Caroline Tennille St. Clair. I just got around to reading it and, I must say, I found it a fascinating and enjoyable book. Caroline did a great job in making the book seem as if it came straight from her Aunt Toni.
At the very beginning of her story, Tennille writes about being a small child in Montgomery, Alabama, playing outside. Suddenly, there was an accident that could have altered her destiny. A heavy wheelbarrow fell on Toni's finger, nearly severing it. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. Young Toni had shown musical talent and had an interest in playing the piano. She lost part of her finger, but then went through many surgeries to reconstruct the digit so she'd eventually be able to play her instrument. Bear in mind, this was going on in the 1940s, when surgeries were much more primitive than they are now and anesthesia consisted of ether.
She continues her story with tales about growing up in an era when blacks and whites were segregated. Her parents were fairly well off; her dad owned a furniture store and her mother was on a television show. They had hired help. The help consisted of several black women who looked after Toni and her three sisters. Toni explains that her family treated the help with dignity and respect. Racism always made the Tennille family uncomfortable. Still, if I had to mention a part of the book that made me a little uneasy, it was that part.
Fate led the Tennilles out of Alabama when Toni was a student at Auburn University. Her father's business failed and Toni had to drop out of school. But it turned out there was a bigger life waiting for the family in California. It was there that Toni met Daryl Dragon, who would eventually become her second husband. Daryl Dragon came from a wealthy California family. His mother had been a singer and his father was Carmen Dragon, a famed conductor. All of the Dragon siblings had musical talent, but Daryl was said to be the most talented. He was working with The Beach Boys when he and Toni met. Thanks to Daryl, Toni landed herself a gig playing with the big time as a member of The Beach Boys' band.
As time passed, Toni and Daryl started working together. They became an act. People thought they were married, so they eventually decided to make it official at a wedding chapel in Nevada. Sadly, although Toni claims to have been in love with her husband and wrote many songs for and about him, he never seemed to return her affections. They slept in separate bedrooms. Daryl respected his wife for her musical abilities, but didn't seem into her as a woman. And that was the state of their marriage for a very long time.
Based on Toni's many observations about her ex husband, my guess is that he's more than a bit narcissistic and/or perhaps suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. She claims that he saw her as a possession. He would get very jealous when she was involved in any acting job that required her to kiss another man. And yet, when she was at home, he never kissed her very often. He spent a lot of time alone and adhered to weird, strict diets, which he expected his wife to follow. In one story, Tennille writes about eating nothing but yellow grapefruit for weeks. She writes of visiting beautiful cities world renowned for food and ending up eating tasteless crap her husband favored.
The "Captain", so nicknamed by one of the Beach Boys, was rarely without his hat. Tennille explains that he started balding in his 30s and was very self-conscious about his thinning hair. So he would never be hatless, even in places where it was customary or compulsory to remove one's hat. Toni Tennille missed out on seeing the Sistine Chapel because her husband refused to remove his hat. He also has a condition that affects his eyes, making them look strange. Dragon was self-conscious about the problem, which prompted a lot of fans to write in and ask what was wrong with him. That was also a source of much shame and embarrassment for him and he took it out on his wife.
While Toni Tennille writes a lot about her career and some of the great things she was able to do, a lot of this book is about her marriage to Daryl Dragon. And folks, I'll be honest. As interesting as it was to read about her marriage, it was also more than a bit depressing. Here she was, this beautiful, talented, vivacious woman and she spent her best years married to a man who didn't really love her. She allowed him to dictate so many things about her life. It wasn't until she was in her 70s that she finally had enough and got a divorce. However, despite the divorce, it seems the Captain and Tennille still talk. Toni writes that they speak on the phone every couple of weeks or so. I guess old habits really do die hard.
Despite the fact that I think Toni Tennille should have divorced many years ago, I did like her book. She comes across as very likable and friendly. Ultimately, she keeps this book pretty positive, yet I never got the sense she was embellishing about the ordeals she went through in her personal life. If you're curious, I recommend reading Toni Tennille's Memoir.
Captain and Tennille perform during their heyday with two of Toni's three sisters singing backup. Toni's sisters were also musically talented. I'm pretty sure they're all lip syncing here, though.
I just finished reading Toni Tennille: A Memoir, the life story of singer, songwriter, and actress Toni Tennille, who is best known as half of the 70s pop duo, Captain and Tennille. As a bonafide child of the 70s, music by Captain and Tennille was part of my early soundtrack. Their cover version of Neil Sedaka's "Love Will Keep Us Together" was a huge hit in 1975. I grew up hearing it on the radio and at my Aunt Gayle and Uncle Brownlee's house. Brownlee is my dad's younger brother and a musician; he always had hipper musical tastes than my dad did.
Captain and Tennille also had a popular variety show on ABC that aired for one season. I never saw their show because besides being very young in 1976, I was also living in England. As Toni Tennille explains it, in those days TV wasn't as global as it is now. She and her famous ex husband, Daryl Dragon (aka the Captain), were able to travel to Scotland on vacation and not be recognized by leagues of adoring fans.
Anyway, I decided to read Toni Tennille's story when I read an article about her online. She and Daryl Dragon got divorced not long ago. They had been married for 39 years and both are in their golden years. I was curious about that, but I also admire Toni Tennille's talents as a musician. So I downloaded the book, which Tennille wrote with help from her niece, Caroline Tennille St. Clair. I just got around to reading it and, I must say, I found it a fascinating and enjoyable book. Caroline did a great job in making the book seem as if it came straight from her Aunt Toni.
At the very beginning of her story, Tennille writes about being a small child in Montgomery, Alabama, playing outside. Suddenly, there was an accident that could have altered her destiny. A heavy wheelbarrow fell on Toni's finger, nearly severing it. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. Young Toni had shown musical talent and had an interest in playing the piano. She lost part of her finger, but then went through many surgeries to reconstruct the digit so she'd eventually be able to play her instrument. Bear in mind, this was going on in the 1940s, when surgeries were much more primitive than they are now and anesthesia consisted of ether.
She continues her story with tales about growing up in an era when blacks and whites were segregated. Her parents were fairly well off; her dad owned a furniture store and her mother was on a television show. They had hired help. The help consisted of several black women who looked after Toni and her three sisters. Toni explains that her family treated the help with dignity and respect. Racism always made the Tennille family uncomfortable. Still, if I had to mention a part of the book that made me a little uneasy, it was that part.
Fate led the Tennilles out of Alabama when Toni was a student at Auburn University. Her father's business failed and Toni had to drop out of school. But it turned out there was a bigger life waiting for the family in California. It was there that Toni met Daryl Dragon, who would eventually become her second husband. Daryl Dragon came from a wealthy California family. His mother had been a singer and his father was Carmen Dragon, a famed conductor. All of the Dragon siblings had musical talent, but Daryl was said to be the most talented. He was working with The Beach Boys when he and Toni met. Thanks to Daryl, Toni landed herself a gig playing with the big time as a member of The Beach Boys' band.
As time passed, Toni and Daryl started working together. They became an act. People thought they were married, so they eventually decided to make it official at a wedding chapel in Nevada. Sadly, although Toni claims to have been in love with her husband and wrote many songs for and about him, he never seemed to return her affections. They slept in separate bedrooms. Daryl respected his wife for her musical abilities, but didn't seem into her as a woman. And that was the state of their marriage for a very long time.
Based on Toni's many observations about her ex husband, my guess is that he's more than a bit narcissistic and/or perhaps suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. She claims that he saw her as a possession. He would get very jealous when she was involved in any acting job that required her to kiss another man. And yet, when she was at home, he never kissed her very often. He spent a lot of time alone and adhered to weird, strict diets, which he expected his wife to follow. In one story, Tennille writes about eating nothing but yellow grapefruit for weeks. She writes of visiting beautiful cities world renowned for food and ending up eating tasteless crap her husband favored.
The "Captain", so nicknamed by one of the Beach Boys, was rarely without his hat. Tennille explains that he started balding in his 30s and was very self-conscious about his thinning hair. So he would never be hatless, even in places where it was customary or compulsory to remove one's hat. Toni Tennille missed out on seeing the Sistine Chapel because her husband refused to remove his hat. He also has a condition that affects his eyes, making them look strange. Dragon was self-conscious about the problem, which prompted a lot of fans to write in and ask what was wrong with him. That was also a source of much shame and embarrassment for him and he took it out on his wife.
While Toni Tennille writes a lot about her career and some of the great things she was able to do, a lot of this book is about her marriage to Daryl Dragon. And folks, I'll be honest. As interesting as it was to read about her marriage, it was also more than a bit depressing. Here she was, this beautiful, talented, vivacious woman and she spent her best years married to a man who didn't really love her. She allowed him to dictate so many things about her life. It wasn't until she was in her 70s that she finally had enough and got a divorce. However, despite the divorce, it seems the Captain and Tennille still talk. Toni writes that they speak on the phone every couple of weeks or so. I guess old habits really do die hard.
Despite the fact that I think Toni Tennille should have divorced many years ago, I did like her book. She comes across as very likable and friendly. Ultimately, she keeps this book pretty positive, yet I never got the sense she was embellishing about the ordeals she went through in her personal life. If you're curious, I recommend reading Toni Tennille's Memoir.
My mom knows someone (a cousin, I think) who knows Toni Tenille personally, though my mom has never met Ms. Tenille. Toni Tenille is supposedly a very nice person who is very well-liked by people in the business. I don't remember it (it was probably all before my time), but my mom said that after the Captain and Tenille variety show, Toni had a daytime syndicated show, and that really good entertainers were frequently on it mainly because they liked her so much. I want to read her book.
ReplyDeleteShe did have a talk show. If you check YouTube, you'll find a clip from that show from when she interviewed Daryl Dragon.
DeleteAlso, someone recently interviewed her and she seemed very lovely there, too.