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Born Carmine Granito in Staten Island, New York, Ron Dante was determined to become a singer from an early age. After a childhood fall from a tree broke his arm, he was given the choice to either squeeze a rubber ball or play guitar to prevent muscle atrophy, and he chose the guitar. While visiting New York City's famous Brill Building, where songwriters worked in cubicles creating hits, Ron met key figures who influenced his career. Among them were Don Kirshner, co-founder of the publishing company Aldon Music, and the songwriting duo Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, known for hits like "Catch a Falling Star" and "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini."
Recording several singles as "Ronnie Dante," Ron joined forces with fellow staff writers and session singers Danny Jordan (Vance's nephew) and Tommy Wynn to create a parody of The Shangri-Las' hit "Leader of the Pack," titled "Leader of the Laundromat." The song charted, and the trio toured nationally as The Detergents, sometimes sharing bills with The Shangri-Las. In 1968, when Don Kirshner became music director for the Saturday morning cartoon The Archie Show, Ron won the role as the lead singing voice for the animated band The Archies. Over the next three years, Ron and songwriter-producer Jeff Barry produced over 100 songs for The Archies, including the 1969 #1 hit "Sugar, Sugar." At the same time, Ron had another Top Ten single, "Tracy," written by Vance and Pockriss. Both records featured Ron anonymously; "Tracy" and an entire album performed by Ron’s multi-tracked vocals were released under the name The Cuff Links.
Alongside his work with The Archies and The Cuff Links, Ron sang jingles for major brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Coppertone. He had a brief solo career before focusing on production. During a studio session, he met the writer of a jingle for a new soft drink that quickly failed, but this meeting sparked a friendship and partnership with Barry Manilow. Impressed by Barry’s compositions, Ron encouraged him to record under his own name rather than continue as Bette Midler’s arranger and pianist. This collaboration led Ron to produce all of Barry’s platinum albums and 18 Top Ten singles between 1973 and 1981. He also produced for artists like Cher, Irene Cara, Pat Benatar, and John Denver.
After years behind the scenes, Ron returned to singing. His 1999 CD "Favorites," featuring covers of '60s hits originally by The Grass Roots, The Association, and others, was released to stores. His follow-up album, "on Dante's Saturday Night Blast," came out in September 2004, including tracks like "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Rockin' Robin," and "Angels Among Us." Ron continues to perform live alongside classic pop artists such as Andy Kim and Peter Noone and remains active in production work from his base in Los Angeles, California.
