Tony Camillo
- August 28, 2018
- 90 years
About Tony Camillo
Tony Camillo, 90, American record producer (Bazuka) and arranger.
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Full Biography
|Anthony J. Camillo (August 11, 1928 – August 29, 2018) was an American record producer, orchestrator and arranger.
Background
Camillo, born in Somerville, New Jersey, worked on many soul, pop and disco recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ronnie Williams, recordings by Dionne Warwick, Eric Carmen, The Stylistics, Dazz Band, Millie Jackson, The Chambers Brothers, Peaches & Herb, Sha Na Na, Grand Funk Railroad, Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, Martha Reeves, The Supremes, Parliament, and Tommy James.
Career
In the early 1970s, he spent some time working in Detroit with Motown and also the Holland-Dozier-Holland production team on their Invictus and Hot Wax labels before returning to Hillsborough, New Jersey where he established a recording studio, Venture Sound, in 1971. In 1973 he co-produced and arranged Gladys Knight & the Pips' number one hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia" at Venture Sound, which was awarded a Grammy Award. Camillo also co-wrote and produced the group's 1974 hit, "I Feel a Song" which was a Billboard R&B number one (#21 pop).
Camillo produced soul singer Ronnie Williams' single, Dreamin' which was an up-tempo cover of the Johnny Burnette song. Released on the Roxbury label, it was a Single Pick in the 9 November 1974 issue of Record World. According to the 8 November issue of Radio & Records, it was a key add on at R&B stations, WDIA, WBOK, WYLD, and WVOL. It was also a key pop add on at secondary stations. The word was to watch out for this one.
Camillo also assembled the studio group Bazuka, which scored a Top Ten hit in the US in 1975 with "Dynomite". The track peaked at #28 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1975.
In 1978, he co-founded a record label, Venture Records. The label's biggest success came in 1982 with Canadian duo, Chéri, whose song, "Murphy's Law" reached #5 on the R&B and #39 on the pop chart.
Later in his career, Camillo turned to writing and scoring for films, including the horror film Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974), the Blaxploitation film Hangup (1974), and the action movies The Survivalist (1987) and Night Vision (1997). In 1994, he founded Venture Music Group, a licensing group, and served as its CEO. He operated his own studio in New Jersey for over 30 years until his death.
Camillo died on August 29, 2018, at the age of 90.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Tony Camillo, 'Midnight Train to Georgia' Producer & Arranger, Dies at 90"billboard.com
- MUSIC NEWS, Tony Camillo, ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ Producer & Arranger, Dies at 90 By Ian Shearnbillboard.com
Reported coverage of Tony Camillo; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Camillo
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 9, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Tony Camillo's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Anthony J. Camillo born?
- A.Trenton, New Jersey
- B.Detroit, Michigan
- C.Hillsborough, New Jersey
- D.Somerville, New Jerseycorrect
Anthony J. Camillo was born in Somerville, New Jersey.
Source: Background section
2.What was the name of the recording studio established by Anthony J. Camillo in 1971?
- A.Motown Studios
- B.Venture Soundcorrect
- C.Roxbury Sound
- D.Invictus Records
In 1971, Anthony J. Camillo established a recording studio named Venture Sound in Hillsborough, New Jersey.
Source: Career section
3.In what year did Anthony J. Camillo die?
- A.1994
- B.2015
- C.2010
- D.2018correct
Anthony J. Camillo died on August 29, 2018, at the age of 90.
Source: Background and Career sections
4.Which of these groups did Anthony J. Camillo work with during his career?
- A.The 5th Dimensioncorrect
- B.The Rolling Stones
- C.The Beach Boys
- D.The Beatles
The list of artists Anthony J. Camillo worked with includes The 5th Dimension.
Source: Background section
5.What number one hit did Anthony J. Camillo co-produce and arrange in 1973?
- A.Dynomite
- B.Midnight Train to Georgiacorrect
- C.I Feel a Song
- D.Murphy's Law
Anthony J. Camillo co-produced and arranged Gladys Knight & the Pips' number one hit, Midnight Train to Georgia, in 1973.
Source: Career section
6.Which studio group did Anthony J. Camillo assemble that scored a Top Ten hit in 1975?
- A.Sha Na Na
- B.The Stylistics
- C.Bazukacorrect
- D.Chéri
Anthony J. Camillo assembled the studio group Bazuka, which scored a Top Ten hit in the US in 1975.
Source: Career section
7.Anthony J. Camillo worked with which production team in Detroit during the early 1970s?
- A.The Hit Factory
- B.Holland-Dozier-Hollandcorrect
- C.Stock Aitken Waterman
- D.Gamble and Huff
In the early 1970s, Anthony J. Camillo spent time working with the Holland-Dozier-Holland production team.
Source: Career section
8.What was the label that released Ronnie Williams' single Dreamin'?
- A.Roxburycorrect
- B.Venture Records
- C.Invictus
- D.Hot Wax
The single Dreamin' produced by Anthony J. Camillo for Ronnie Williams was released on the Roxbury label.
Source: Career section
9.Which horror film did Anthony J. Camillo score music for in 1974?
- A.Night Vision
- B.The Survivalist
- C.Welcome to Arrow Beachcorrect
- D.Hangup
Anthony J. Camillo wrote and scored music for the horror film Welcome to Arrow Beach in 1974.
Source: Career section
10.Anthony J. Camillo founded which organization in 1994?
- A.Venture Sound
- B.Motown Licensing
- C.Venture Music Groupcorrect
- D.Venture Records
In 1994, Anthony J. Camillo founded Venture Music Group, a licensing group, and served as its CEO.
Source: Career section
11.What chart position did the song Dynomite reach in the UK Singles Chart in 1975?
- A.#1
- B.#10
- C.#28correct
- D.#5
The track Dynomite peaked at #28 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1975.
Source: Career section
12.Which of these was a Billboard R&B number one hit co-written and produced by Anthony J. Camillo?
- A.I Feel a Songcorrect
- B.Dreamin'
- C.Dynomite
- D.Murphy's Law
Anthony J. Camillo co-wrote and produced the 1974 hit I Feel a Song, which was a Billboard R&B number one.
Source: Career section
13.For how long did Anthony J. Camillo operate his own studio in New Jersey?
- A.15 years
- B.Almost 40 years
- C.Over 30 yearscorrect
- D.Exactly 20 years
Anthony J. Camillo operated his own studio in New Jersey for over 30 years until his death.
Source: Career section
14.Which Canadian duo found success on Venture Records with the song Murphy's Law?
- A.The Chambers Brothers
- B.Peaches & Herb
- C.The Stylistics
- D.Chéricorrect
The label Venture Records' biggest success came in 1982 with the Canadian duo, Chéri, and their song Murphy's Law.
Source: Career section
15.The single Dreamin' by Ronnie Williams was featured as a Single Pick in which publication?
- A.Billboard
- B.Radio & Records
- C.Rolling Stone
- D.Record Worldcorrect
The single Dreamin' was a Single Pick in the 9 November 1974 issue of Record World.
Source: Career section
16.Which action movie did Anthony J. Camillo score in 1997?
- A.The Survivalist
- B.Night Visioncorrect
- C.Welcome to Arrow Beach
- D.Hangup
Anthony J. Camillo wrote and scored music for the action movie Night Vision in 1997.
Source: Career section
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