Dana Valery Catalano is an Italian-born South African-reared singer, actress, and television performer who started her career in the entertainment industry at the age of 16 in Johannesburg, South Africa, where her family emigrated from Italy in 1947.

Sergio Franchi was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Victor signed him to a seven-year contract and in October of that year Franchi appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed at Carnegie Hall. Sol Hurok managed Franchi's initial American concert tour.