Vic Dana

nitially known for his skills as a tap dancer, Buffalo native Vic Dana relocated to Los Angeles at the urging of Sammy Davis, Jr., where he soon began pursuing a singing career. For a time in the early '60s, he became the touring lead singer of pop group the Fleetwoods, replacing Gary Troxel, who was fulfilling an active duty stint in the U.S. Navy. During that time, Dana also began releasing solo material in the romantic adult contemporary pop tradition, eventually scoring a major hit with 1965's "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," which reached the Billboard Top Ten. Throughout the '60s, Dana had a number of other singles that charted well including "Shangri-La," "Little Altar Boy," and "I Love You Drops." In 1970 he had a minor hit with Neil Diamond's song "Red Red Wine." By the mid-'70s, Dana's success had mostly faded and his last nationally charting single was 1976's "Lay Me Down (Roll Me Out to Sea)," which cracked the Top 20 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. In addition to his singing and dancing career, Dana also acted in a handful of films including 1962's Don't Knock the Twist and the 1964 Bob Hope comedy A Global Affair. He eventually retired from show business, settling down in Paducah, Kentucky.