Don Drowty born 5 October 1938

Donald Drowty (born 5 October 1938*) is a singer, songwriter and producer who is better known as Dante of  Dante & The Evergreens. 

Drowty was born Chesterton, Indiana, about 15 miles east of Gary. Growing up with an alcoholic father was a difficult experience and one that would shape his later endeavors. In 1946 the family moved to Santa Monica where the youngster later attended University High and Santa Monica High. It was during these years that Drowty formed the associations that led to his hit record. The Pastels were formed at the College in 1959, they were a trio which showcased the singing talents of Donald “Dante” Drowty, Frank Rosenthal, and Bill Young. 

Befriended by Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, the group was brought to the attention of Jan & Dean's managers Herb Alpert and Lou Adler, who signed them to a management deal. Torrence and producer Kim Fowley thought they needed an extra voice to improve their harmonies and added singer/guitarist Wally Moon.The group worked with singer Aki Aleong, backing him up on several records. In 1960 Torrence put them together with producers Herb Alpert and Lou Adler, who asked them to do a cover of a novelty song, "Alley Oop". As there was another group named The Pastels at the time, they changed their name to Dante and the Evergreens, and the song was recorded and released in just three days on the independent Madison label. 

Singer/producer Gary Paxton, meanwhile, had also recorded the song with a group including himself, called them The Hollywood Argyles, and released the song at the same time. Both were hits, with Paxton's version going to #1 on the Billboard chart, the Evergreens' version going to #15 on that chart and both of them hitting #1 on the CashBox chart. With the success of "Alley Oop," Dante & the Evergreens continued to record for a few years after that, and spent a good amount of time touring up and down the East Coast, even playing the famed Apollo Theater in New York City. 

                             

Unable to match the song's success, the group became increasingly frustrated. When Rosenthal became ill in 1964, and the quartet was unable to tour for six months, the four vocalists went their separate ways. Rosenthal returned to college on an athletic scholarship, while Young was unsuccessful in his attempts to break into movies or music as a soloist. Moon went on to become a highly respected arranger, writer, and producer in Nashville. 

The Evergreens with Merv Griffin

Drowty continued to record with Dante & His Friends, a group that featured members of the Rivingtons. One tune recorded by the group, "Little Girl (You're My Miss America)," was covered by the Beach Boys on their 1962 Surfin' Safari album. Dante  then did a recording for Phillips under the name Emerald City Bandits. He says he recorded many songs under other names but declined to elaborate. His final release teamed him back up with Alpert, this time on the latter's A&M label, for a remake of the Cadillacs' “Speedo.” 

For the remainder of the '60s and ‘70s, Drowty worked as a writer/producer for Bert Bern's Mellin Music Publishing Company, overseeing recordings by such acts as the Isley Brothers and the McCoys. Drowty released a private issue childrens benefit album  in 1970 cosisting of songs recorded from 1960 to 1970 including some masters and many demos. It was produced by Bert Berns, Herb Alpert, Kaye Klassy and Lou Adler. 

Drowty, who grew up in an impoverished foster family, wanted to be a teacher and in time that came to pass, with jobs in Santa Monica, Arizona, New Mexico and Japan. The teaching evolved into major charity work for abused and disabled children. With the ongoing help of Alpert and Adler, Drowty obtained the services of many recording stars for his American Music Project, which went out to 70,000 schools and 21 million children. Those that participated included the Beach Boys, Rita Coolidge, Amy Grant, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, the Carpenters, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Iron Eyes Cody and many more. 

Latest news - Drowty is residing in the small Northern California town of Paradise. According to his facebook page, due to heart problems he had a pacemaker installed in September 2021 and although in poorly health still continuing his charity work.

(Edited from AllMusic bio by Craig Harris, IMDb, Discogs  & Top Shelf Oldies) (*other source gives 1939 as birth year)