Sandler and Young

Sandler and Young were a popular singing team from the 1960s through the 1980s, comprised of Belgian-born Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young.

Sandler & Young appeared with Polly Bergen in her show at the Las Vegas Thunderbird Hotel & Casino, doing eleven minutes between her costume changes. This engagement was a smashing success and was the first of many the three would make together. Sandler & Young's careers were further advanced by their performance at the Coconut Grove in The Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood, where a long list of celebrities and movie stars, through word of mouth, attended their show. Among the people in attendance was Alan Livingstone, then president of Capitol Records, who immediately signed them to a recording contract.

During the 10 following years they released several Capitol Albums s.a. 'Side by Side', Pretty Things Come in Twos', 'On The Move', 'Honey Come Back', 'Odds & Ends', 'More and More', An 'In Person ' Album and a Christmas Album. Their producer was David Cavanaugh, who would later become the President of Capitol Records and the musical directors were Billy May and Jimmy Jones.

Later on other labels s.a. Pickwick Records and PIP, the duo released their albums 'Sandler & Young: LIVE', a double Live album and 'Love Stories'. In the early seventies Sandler and Young started their own label RALTON Records and following albums were released: 'Once More With Feeling', 'You've Got a Friend', 'Go Country', 'The Many Moods', 'Pause a While' and 'Sandler & Young Thank Irvin Berlin'.

During the release of their albums, Sandler & Young performed numerous concerts in the most important clubs, showrooms, and concert halls throughout the US and Canada. In fact, they played Canada so often that people actually thought they were Canadians.In 1968 they returned frequently, and sometimes for several weeks to Las Vegas now as headliners at the Sahara Hotel, The Dunes Hotel, The Flamingo Hilton (1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974), Caesars Palace (1969), The Thunderbird Hotel (1976)

Guest shots on the most popular national TV shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show," 7 episodes, "The Hollywood Palace", "The Milton Berle Show", "The Andy Williams Show," "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" 9 episodes, The Today Show, followed, and Sandler and Young became one of the most popular acts in show business. Their impressions were done by Martin Short (Sandler) and Eugene Levy (Young) on the Emmy-winning comedy show SCTV.

In 1969 Sandler and Young hosted for 13 weeks the very popular Kraft Music Hall from London for CBS.

In the mid eighties, by the age of 65, Young decided to retire from the concert stage to spend more time with his family in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. Sandler, the 16 years younger of the two, wasn't ready to stop performing. Today, Tony Sandler is actively touring the country with his interpretations of musical theatre and European repertoire, and his one man-show "Chevalier, Maurice and Me."

In 1995 Capitol Records released the CD "Sandler & Young, Great Gentlemen of Song" and in that same year they earned their celebrity star on the famous Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

On very special occasions, Sandler and Young reteamed to perform to sellout crowds. Their last appearance together was at the 2003 All Stars benefit show "Let Freedom Ring" in Palm Springs to honor the victims of 9/11.

Ralph Young died at his Palm Springs home on August 22, 2008 at the age of 90.