Tony Orlando Breathes Life Into Artwork with New Song, 'American Highrise'

A piece of artwork designed to inspire strength and courage is the focus of a new song composed by pop singer, Tony Orlando. 'American Highrise' is on the airwaves and was recently featured in Las Vegas during Orlando's 13-week run at the Golden Nugget.

Imagine spending 25 years fostering the creation and then circulation of your first major piece of artwork.

Then suddenly, a legendary singer composes and records a song with the same title as your work, reweaving its original message of courage and strength to honor the victims and survivors of September 11th.

Richard Daniel Clark, a native of Brisbane, Australia and of White Russian descent, has such a story to tell.

Clarks finely detailed architectural montage, American Highrise," originally created in 1977, displays 29 powerful buildings seen in cities across America, from San Francisco to New York, and several more structures of Clarks own creation.

And recently, the distinctive image breathed new life, as Tony Orlando performed American Highrise" for a 13 weeks stint at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Orlandos fresh composition is also receiving radio airtime around the country.

Tony Orlando is a super person who is loved by so many people. He is the right person to compose and perform 'American Highrise," Clark said.

Orlando was on the road for an appearance and saw the World Trade Center tragedy from the television in his hotel room, say his representatives.

Tonys first thoughts were of what he could do, and that is when he wrote the song which was inspired by Clarks artwork."

The singer was more than familiar with Clarks artwork. In past years, Orlando had borrowed a stage-size banner with Clarks image to use as a backdrop several times for major veterans events in his Branson theatre.

Clark recalls how he drew the montage, described as the most distinctive American image created within the past quarter of a century", with ballpoint and felt tip pens.

I included the Statue of Liberty into the image as a symbol that embodies the American Dream," the naturalized U.S. citizen said.

Even before the September 11th tragedy, Clarks supporters have asserted that American Highrise" should be selected for a series of new U.S. postage stamps.

(To date it has been used for several first day covers in Branson, Missouri and in Washington D.C. including release on Jan. 1, 2000 in both locations in celebration of the New Millennium.)

Clark says he asks friends to keep pushing" at the U.S. Postmaster General.

"Don't you think this would be better than cartoon images? I do, and I'm asking everyone who has seen 'American Highrise to let the Postmaster General know they would like to see it become a stamp, too."

Clark believes the image would be immediately recognized in the form of postage stamps, since he has worked diligently for so long to have it recognized.

His formal, documented list of "American Highrise" owners around the world is impressive, for example ...

American Highrise is in the personal possession of all five living U.S. Presidents. (Clark has received personal thank you notes from each of these men.)

Other distinguished owners include the late Armand Hammer, Ted Koppel, Rev. Billy Graham, astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn, and His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

The George Bush Sr. Inaugural image of Clarks work became the first piece of art featuring the Stars and Stripes to be admitted into the Vatican Archives.

Clarks artwork is in the National Archives of the Library of Congress, Presidential Libraries, the Birthplaces of Washington and Lincoln, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

American Highrise" is on board most of the aircraft carriers in the U.S. Fleet and an additional 300 U.S. ships and submarines, the Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard Academies including the National Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Clarks work is also displayed at over 240 U.S.Military Bases across the nation and the world from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

At the current rate of locations confirming acceptance, American Highrise" will become the most personally viewed piece of art in modern times, Clark asserts.

The original 8-foot American Highrise" mural is displayed at the Ripleys Believe It Or Not museum in Branson, Missouri where Clark resides, and many Branson residents have given Clarks artwork support.

Veterans groups often ask for the montage to be shown during special events and Clark, who has been active in veterans causes for over two decades, is frequently asked to host such programs and presentations.

Clark's work started as a sketch on a cocktail napkin while his plane circled over New York City, waiting for clearance to land.

Once he returned to his Los Angeles home, Clark became obsessed with the project, spending most spare moments on his knees on his apartment floor, projecting the original sketch from the rumpled napkin to the final work.

The original montage was drawn on the back of old posters advertising a road show he emceed at that time.

Once completed, a friend digitized the artwork onto a billboard sized sheet and then American Highris" was used as a backdrop for George Bush, Sr. who was in Los Angeles at the time, giving a political speech during his presidential campaign.

Later on, American Highrise" was the only piece of art to have been granted the Official Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural Seal, making it a one every 200 years" design and part of American history. Clark was named the Inaugural Artist.

Clark soon began presenting copies of his artwork to people who had suffered personal tragedies, military warriors returning home, world leaders, spouses of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty, important people and just regular folks who he believed deserved special recognition.

Some of Clark's ceremonies take place in formal halls while others might take place in a kitchen.

Ive really enjoyed these ceremonies. Sometimes when Im welcoming home Vietnam vets they tell me they finally feel they are back home after receiving this gift."

Since September 11th, Clark has continued sharing his artwork with people affected by the event, from firefighters to military families.

He often receives requests from government, military and other officials to make certain the artwork awarded to a specific person; it is not unusual for Clark to receive nominations" for his artwork recipients.

There's a variation of an old saying, Do what you love and success will follow."

Its a message that holds true -- if you understand your message and if you know how to broadcast your message effectively.

Clark, who said he inherited his creative skills from his father Andrew Clark, a graduate in engineering from the University of Kiev, Ukraine understands his message.

And from his years in the entertainment industry and through his artistic passion, its also apparent he knows how to send this message around the world and back.

Via his American Highrise."

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Keywords: American Highrise art music New York September stamps philatelists