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Once again living in extreme poverty, Fontane made the rounds of churches asking to sing for them. Fontane got his break in the gospel music industry when Phil Kerr, organizer of the Monday Night
Musicals at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, asked him to perform in concert, and following that
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From an early age, he showed an interest in singing. He became accomplished enough that he frequently sang in church services at the mission and, while still in high school, won the Dakota State
Achievement award in a vocal contest. He was offered a musical scholarship at
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and given only a year to live. Despite undergoing several unsuccessful operations, he continued to sing. Four days before his death, he went to an Orange County, California, church where two men—one on each side of him—helped stand him up for his last concert. He sang
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following a near-fatal car accident in 1957. His clear tenor voice served as his most prominent feature. His career singing gospel music was successful in his day, leading him to performing in concert halls and churches around the globe and recording many albums.
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came to him and offered him one more chance. When he came out of his coma, Fontane not only gave up atheism but converted to
Christianity. When he abandoned his popular career and refused to sing anything other than gospel music, he was sued by the
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appearance, Fontane became one of the busiest gospel singers in the world. He recorded albums, made a film about his life's story, and performed in churches, civic auditoriums, schools, military bases and concert halls.
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Moving once more to
Chicago, Fontane appeared on television shows such as "Teen Town", "The Tony Fontane Show", and "Top Tunes With Trendler". He appeared on the shows of
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took the song to number 1 on the pop chart that year, Fontane's version of the song reached number 28 on the Hit Parade, surpassing the version by
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Fontane continued his busy performance schedule throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, even traveling several times to
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to live with his aunt, and tried unsuccessfully to break into show business while still in high school. During
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format online, the majority of
Fontane's music may largely be found in antique stores and Internet auctions.
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On the afternoon of
September 3, 1957, Fontane finished a rehearsal for a television special at
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to sing for
American troops stationed there. He also performed for four U.S. Presidents—
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Fontane married actress Kerry Vaughn on May 2, 1950, and toured with her in
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in the 1940s and 1950s who gave up his career in popular music to become a
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Fontane later wrote that while he was in his coma, he had a vision that
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On June 30, 1974, Fontane died at the age of 48. He was buried at
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Tony
Fontane was born Anthony Trankina on September 18, 1925, in
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Tony
Fontane Sings the Songs from The Tony Fontane Story
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Burials at Forest Lawn
Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
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Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism
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United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II
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162:in 1929 and a few years later moved the family to
430:Tony Fontane Sings of Decision-Comfort-Assurance
364:Although a small selection of his popular and
280:(born January 12, 1952; died April 1, 2007).
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308:for breach of contract and lost everything.
394:Tony Fontane Sings His Most Requested Hymns
475:A Bargain With God: The Tony Fontane Story
456:A Bargain With God: The Tony Fontane Story
578:Deaths from prostate cancer in California
412:Tony Fontane Sings Concert Tour Favorites
272:," became known in Australia as a second
245:" (Mercury 5693) in November 1951. While
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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583:People from Grand Forks, North Dakota
16:American recording artist (1925–1974)
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294:Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
284:Near-death experience and conversion
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418:An Evening Concert by Tony Fontane
268:and appeared in the cult classic "
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292:and was driving to his home in
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593:20th-century American singers
424:Farther Than My Eyes Can See
368:recordings are available in
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354:Forest Lawn Memorial Park
180:Michigan State University
164:Grand Forks, North Dakota
156:Michigan Central Railroad
441:Standing on the Promises
406:The Hymns My Mother Sang
260:in the musical comedy, "
241:led to his hit single, "
568:American gospel singers
516:IMDB: Prehistoric Women
458:. Kindle (Amazon.com).
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437:The Statesmen Quartet
382:The Touch of His Hand
306:William Morris Agency
326:Dwight D. Eisenhower
43:improve this article
152:Ann Arbor, Michigan
505:IMDB: Kerry Vaughn
435:Tony Fontane with
262:Zip Goes a Million
212:A Bargain With God
465:978-0-615-53492-3
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563:1974 deaths
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388:He Leads Me
360:Discography
266:Lana Turner
227:Steve Allen
223:Ed Sullivan
200:Coast Guard
552:Categories
493:References
146:Early life
69:newspapers
258:Australia
141:Biography
322:Vietnam
192:Chicago
172:atheism
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