Ron Dante may not be a household name, but his voice featured on a couple of the biggest pop hits of the late '60s (the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" and the Cuff Links' "Tracy"), he worked as musical director for Barry Manilow in the '70s, and he sang on some of the most ubiquitous commercials of the era, including the iconic "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" for Coke.
It all started in Staten Island when young Carmine Granito broke his arm and the doctor gave him a choice of playing a sport or an instrument to help the healing process. The Elvis-loving preteen chose guitar a...