Toni Dalli moved to South Yorkshire in the late 1940s at the age of 17, having been born in Pescara, Italy. He started working as a Bevin Boy in the mines and later in the steel mills.
However, his real passion was revealed in the evening at Sheffield’s workers’ clubs, where his voice won him the attention of talent watchers Percy Livington and Roy Holstein.
After his required four years in the steelworks, his professional singing career took off when he moved to London. In the 1950s he performed regularly on UK television and the Ed Sullivan Show, Hollywood, Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
He recorded albums that became bestsellers with major record companies EMI and Decca, hosted his own TV show in America and toured around the world, but he never forgot his Sheffield debut. his family said.
Toni’s son Marco said: “My dad had many friends across the world and he’s been performing everywhere, but he always considered himself a boy from Sheffield even though he was from Italy.
“He was so proud of it and spoke with a mixture of Italian and Northern English accent. It was funny to hear.
“He always said ‘I’m a proud boy from Sheffield’ and it’s no accident that I have friends from Sheffield myself.
“They showed me around the old workers’ clubs where my father started to form.
“He was loved by everyone and the reaction to his passing was incredible.”
Later, Toni moved to Marbella and opened a very successful restaurant called The Golden Mile, where Jimmy Tarbuck and Sean Connery were regularly seen.
Toni, who was born Antonio D’Alessandro, was also an avid golfer and would drive in the Andalusia region of Spain in his Ferrari.
A “passionate family man,” Toni is survived by his wife of over 60, Valérie, as well as his sons Marco, Simon and Nicholas.
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Source: www.thestar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-06 19:10:10
