| Vic Dana | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Samuel Mendola |
| Birth Date: | 26 August 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Genre: | Traditional pop |
| Occupation: | Singer, dancer, actor |
| Label: | Dolton, Liberty, Sunset |
Samuel Mendola[1] (born August 26, 1942, Buffalo, New York, United States),[2] known professionally as Vic Dana, is an American singer, dancer and actor.[3]
Discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., Dana was an excellent male dancer, particularly in tap, and was encouraged by Davis to move to Los Angeles to further his career.[2] With the decline of dancing as a form of entertainment, Dana began a singing career.[2] He is best known for his 1965 Billboard Top Ten hit recording of the Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett song "Red Roses for a Blue Lady".[2] His album of the same title made it into the Top 20.[2] Preceding this success as a solo artist, Dana was the lead singer of The Fleetwoods (for live performances only), replacing original vocalist Gary Troxel when Troxel went into the U.S. Navy.[4]
Other hit recordings on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s: "Little Altar Boy", "I Will", "More", "Shangri-La", "I Love You Drops", and "If I Never Knew Your Name".[2] "I Love You Drops" was written and recorded by country singer Bill Anderson, and was popular enough to be recorded by others including Don Cherry and Teresa Brewer. He also scored a chart record in 1970 with Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine", years before it was turned into a UK number one hit by UB40. His last nationally charted record was Larry Weiss' "Lay Me Down (Roll Me Out To Sea)" on the Casino label, which hit the top 20 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey.[4]
Six Dana songs reached the Music Vendor (later Record World) chart without appearing in the Billboard chart.
Dana had a brief foray as an actor on three TV appearances, first in 1965 on the series Burke's Law in the episode "Who Killed Wimbledon Hastings?" as Forrest Shea, and then in 1966 on the WWII drama Combat! in the episode "Ask Me No Questions" as Pvt. James. He also appeared in the 1968 television movie Shadow Over Elveron as Tino.
Dana has three children, Steven, Jason and Justin. Dana retired from the entertainment industry and now resides in Paducah, Kentucky.Vic was married to Kelly Dana, formerly Kelly Riley. Kelly and Vic were married for 21 years before Kelly died suddenly in 2021.[5]
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US BB | US CB | US AC | CA | CA AC | AU | ||||
| 1961 | "The Girl of My Dreams" b/w "Someone New" (from This Is Vic Dana) | - | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | |
| "Golden Boy" b/w "The Story Behind My Tears" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| "Little Altar Boy" / | 45 | 42 | - | - | - | - | This Is Vic Dana | ||
| "Hello, Roommate" | - | - | - | - | - | 48 | Non-album track | ||
| 1962 | "I Will" b/w "Proud" (Non-album track) | 47 | 42 | 12 | - | - | 31 | More | |
| "(A Girl Needs) to Love and Be Loved" b/w "Time Can Change" | - | 102 | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | ||
| "A Very Good Year for Girls" b/w "Looking for Me" | - | - | - | - | - | 40 | |||
| 1963 | "Danger" b/w "Heart, Hand and Teardrop" | 96 | 76 | - | - | - | 39 | ||
| "More" b/w "That's Why I'm Sorry" | 42 | 18 | 10 | - | - | - | More | ||
| "The Prisoner's Song" b/w "A Voice in the Wind" | - | 143 | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | ||
| "Close Your Eyes" b/w "So Wide the Wind" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1964 | "Shangri-La" b/w "Warm and Tender" (Non-album track) | 27 | 9 | 8 | - | - | 18 | Shangri-La | |
| "Love Is All We Need" b/w "I Need You Now" (Non-album track) | 53 | 63 | 7 | - | - | - | Golden Greats | ||
| "Garden in the Rain" b/w "Stairway to the Stars" (from Shangri-La) | 97 | 90 | 13 | - | - | - | |||
| "Frenchy" b/w "It Was Night (Foi A Noite)" | - | 129 | - | - | - | - | Vic Dana Now | ||
| 1965 | "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" b/w "Blue Ribbons (For Her Curls)" (Non-album track) | 10 | 11 | 2 | - | - | 8 | Red Roses for a Blue Lady | |
| "Bring a Little Sunshine (To My Heart)" b/w "That's All" (from Warm & Wonderful) | 66 | 64 | 20 | - | - | 91 | Golden Greats | ||
| "Moonlight and Roses (Bring Memories of You)" b/w "What'll I Do" | 51 | 54 | 5 | - | - | - | Moonlight and Roses | ||
| "Crystal Chandelier" b/w "What Now My Love (Et Maintenant)" (from Viva) | 51 | 53 | 14 | 19 | 14 | 34 | Crystal Chandelier | ||
| 1966 | "Lovey Kravezit" b/w "Hello Roommate" (from On the Country Side) | - | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | |
| "I Love You Drops" b/w "Sunny Skies" | 30 | 42 | 20 | 28 | - | 40 | Town & Country | ||
| "A Million and One" b/w "My Baby Wouldn't Leave Me" (from Town & Country) | 71 | 69 | 24 | - | - | 88 | Non-album tracks | ||
| "Distant Drums" b/w "Love Me with All Your Heart" (from Viva) | 114 | 92 | 33 | - | - | - | On the Country Side | ||
| "Grown Up Games" b/w "So What's New?" | - | 127 | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | ||
| 1967 | "A Lifetime Lovin' You" b/w "Guess Who, You" | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Fraulein" b/w "A Little Bit Later on Down the Line" | - | 138 | - | - | - | - | On the Country Side | ||
| 1968 | "Little Arrows"b/w "Roses Are Red" | Non-album tracks | |||||||
| 1969 | "You Are My Destiny" b/w "Where Has All the Love Gone" | - | 133 | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | |
| "Look of Leavin'" b/w "Loneliness (Is Messin' Up My Mind)" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| "I Tried To Love You Today" b/w "Aren't We The Lucky Ones" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1970 | "If I Never Knew Your Name" b/w "Sad Day Song" | 47 | 39 | 14 | 43 | 5 | - | If I Never Knew Your Name | |
| "Red Red Wine" b/w "Another Dream Shot Down" | 72 | 94 | 30 | - | - | - | |||
| "You Gave Me a Reason (To Believe)" b/w "It Won't Hurt to Try It" | - | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks | ||
| 1971 | "Angel She Was Love" b/w "If You Think I Love You Now (I've Just Started)" | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "The Love in Your Eyes" b/w "Child of Mine" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1975 | "Memories Can't Make Love to Me" b/w "Best I Ever Had" | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1976 | "Lay Me Down (Roll Me Out to Sea)" b/w "You Never Really Know" | - | - | 14 | - | - | - | ||