Tony Sandler (born Lucien Joseph Santelé, 18 August 1933) is a Belgian singer who was half the vocal duo

Sandler and Young Sandler and Young were an American musical duo from the 1960s through the 1980s, composed of Belgian singer Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young. First success Sandler and Young appeared with Polly Bergen in her show at the Las Vegas ...

, which was popular from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Europe 1954–1963

Sandler began performing as a boy with the Belgian choir « les petits chanteurs des sept croix » of Mouscron. In 1954, he recorded his first hit "Song of the Sea" while serving with the

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

during the Korean War. He attracted international audiences in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, and became a stage and television star with dozens of hit records. He also starred in four German/Italian films as well as musical productions. Sandler then starred and headlined with singing engagements at the 'Roof Garden' of the renowned Café Roma in Alassio on the

Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...

leading him to his U.S. debut. On 29 November 1963 Sandler joined the cast of the "Casino de Paris" revue at the Dunes Hotel in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. In this extravaganza Tony Sandler performed side by side with French star

Line Renaud Line Renaud (born 2 July 1928) is a French singer, actress and AIDS activist. Early life Line Renaud was born Jacqueline Ente in Pont-de-Nieppe on 2 July 1928. Her mother Simone was a shorthand typist; her father was a truck driver during the we ...

and also one American entertainer Ralph Young.

Sandler & Young (1963–1987)

Tony Sandler and Ralph Young stayed for two seasons committed to the Casino de Paris show. In 1965 Tony Sandler and Ralph Young decided to cease work as soloists and perform together as a singing team and that was the beginning of the very successful story of

. The hit duo Sandler & Young performed for two decades as headliners in the main showrooms of the major Las Vegas hotels and casinos and all over the country. They secured guest spots on many national TV shows and sold millions of records, making them one of the most popular acts in show business. In the mid-eighties, Ralph Young wanted to retire from the act to spend more time with his family in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. Tony Sandler, two decades younger, continued to perform and produce. Sandler is still active, singing American and European repertory. On special occasions, Sandler and Young reteamed to perform to sellout crowds. Their last appearance together was at the 2003 All Stars benefit show Let Freedom Ring in Palm Springs to honor the victims of 9/11. Ralph Young died at his Palm Springs home on 22 August 2008 at the age of 90. Several Sandler and Young albums have recently been re-released by the Butterfly label.

Solo work

In 1985, for the TV network PBS he hosted the programs ''Portrait of Europe: Flanders'' and ''For the Night of Christmas'' from Bruges. In the nineties he toured solo with his one-man show, ''Chevalier, Maurice & Me'', and with the symphony–pop production ''My Paris'', arranged by

Peter Matz Peter Matz (November 6, 1928 – August 9, 2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent ...

. Sandler portrayed the life and work of

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", "Louise", " Mimi", and "Thank Hea ...

. In 2005 Sandler produced ''Mijn Moederspraak, An Anthology of Flemish Art and Folk Songs'', containing Flemish folk songs arranged by pianist Gregory Theisen. He hosted the television special ''Tony Sandler's Holiday Greetings'' with the Viking Choir, which was broadcast on PBS.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandler, Tony 1933 births Living people Belgian emigrants to the United States Belgian male singers Belgian pop singers People from Menen