Biography

Tony Fontane

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Tony Fontane was born September 18, 1925 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in North Dakota and Chicago. He escaped the grinding poverty of his youth by joining the Coast Guard in World War II, after which he rose to prominence as a singer in the night clubs of New York. After winning the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour, he enjoyed widespread success that included a recording contract with Mercury Records and his own television show on WGN in Chicago.

In 1957 a near-fatal car crash led him to abandon his popular career for one as a gospel singer, recording primarily with RCA Victor. Fontane was constantly on the go, performing in churches, concert halls and other venues throughout the world. He died June 30, 1974, of prostate cancer.
- IMDb mini biography by: Charles Culbertson

In the history of the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour, only two performers were ever called back for an encore. The first was Frank Sinatra, he the second.
He was notorious for his ability to throw his voice, and frequently emptied airplanes, restaurants and hotel lobbies as he imitated a kitten in distress.
Father, with wife Carol West, of actress Char Fontane, who died in 2007.
On the afternoon of September 3, 1957, Fontane finished a rehearsal for a television special at NBC in Burbank and was driving to his home when another motorist ran a red light and plowed into the driver's side of Fontane's sports car. It took rescue workers more than 2½ hours to extricate the singer from his vehicle. Rushed to the hospital, he remained in a coma on the brink of death for a month. His injuries included two broken legs, a crushed chest, massive head injuries, broken ribs, cracked vertebrae and severe internal injuries. A full-fledged atheist , he experienced a spiritual awakening upon his recovery and abandoned his pop career completely (he was sued by the William Morris Agency), turning instead to gospel and inspirational music for the rest of his life.
Four days before his death, he was helped from his hospital bed to a church where he sang "Just As I Am".

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