In 1945, a future hitmaker was born in Staten Island, N.Y., decades before his voice would become famous as the sound of a band that didn’t actually exist. Ron Dante, the real-life lead singer behind fictional cartoon group The Archies, turned 81 on Aug. 22.
Dante supplied the lead vocals for The Archies’ 1969 smash “Sugar, Sugar,” which became the No. 1-selling single of the year in the United States. But his unusual career didn’t end when the cartoon band’s heyday did. He went on to become a successful producer, working closely with both Barry Manilow and Cher.
