Such a pisser. After 39 years and they’re in their early seventies, it seems to be a rather dumb and tragic decision.
However, it’s their lives but I will always remember them fondly as a kid. I religiously watched their short-lived TV variety show on ABC, Monday nights. Their gimmick with pianist Daryl Dragon always wearing the yacht hat while barely speaking was appealing. I remember saying I wanted to grow up to play the piano like him and marry a girl named Tennille in 1976, I didn’t know the singer’s first name was Toni.
The Seventies ended, the duo’s sound faded and was washed away with the backlash against Disco. They went on to be the butt of jokes.
As I’ve grown older, I learned how savvy Toni and Daryl were as business associates and respected musicians. They used to own a studio in the LA area utilized by numerous rock bands. Toni also provided backing vocals for albums in the Seventies, namely Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Daryl comes from a strong musical family. His father is Carmen Dragon, a well-known conductor, and his younger brother was in the Surf Punks. Everybody knows about his stint with the Beach Boys.
Mock them all you want. I’m over it and had my reconciliation with their work years ago. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t subscribe to having a guilty pleasure, I like what I like without irony or shame.
Sad…so sad really.