Toni Tennille: Pink Floyd, Pot And Why She Divorced "The Captain"

Top 40 radio was a lot different when I was growing up in the 70's. You could hear Elton John, followed by the Carpenters then Barry Manilow and Wings. The world "eclectic" comes to mind when I think of the AM stations I listened to. 

And a big part of the 70's was a duo who called themselves "The Captain and Tennille." Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille were married for almost 40 years. They had a string of unlikely hits  including "Love Will Keep Us Together," "Muskrat Love," and "Do That To Me One More Time" just to name a few. Toni wrote, and Daryl composed. It was, as Toni told me, a "perfect" pairing. 

As a kid, I sort of had a crush on Toni Tennille. I kind of still do. And I enjoy the music she, and her then husband, recorded as much today, as I did 40 years ago.

It seemed to most everyone the couple had everything....hit songs, plenty of money, and the ideal marriage. But Toni told me while she loved Daryl with all her heart, her now ex-husband "just didn't know how to be affectionate." And after nearly 40 years of marriage, the two divorced. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and today the two might be better friends than they ever were husband and wife. 

Watch for my new podcast later this week when Toni explains why she recently came rushing back to help her ex-husband (who was on the verge of death), what it was like to sing with Pink Floyd (she was expecting "a lot of pot") and why it was a relief for her and her husband when their TV show was cancelled.