Don Oriolo
| Don Oriolo | |
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| Birth name | Don Oriolo |
| Born | New Jersey |
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| Years active | 1960–present |
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Don Oriolo is an artist, musician, and writer best known for his work in the music publishing industry and for overseeing the Felix the Cat cartoon franchise after his father, Felix co-creator Joe Oriolo, died in 1985. Don Oriolo also owns and operates the Oriolo Guitar Company, a guitar, bass, and ukulele manufacture company whose products often feature Felix and other Oriolo-designed artwork. Oriolo has also authored a number of books featuring his paintings of Felix the Cat, whom he describes as his creative muse.Some of his music publishing credentials include writing Jon Bon Jovi's first charted track, as well as signing Meatloaf and Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam.
Don Oriolo was born and raised in New Jersey. He is the son of the co-creator of cartoons Felix the Cat and Casper the Ghost, Joe Oriolo. He credits his parents with fostering his creative personality as a child. Growing up as one of three children, Oriolo and his siblings drew pictures and played various musical instruments. Don's main instruments were the guitar and the piano. In one interview, he remembers being six years old and sitting underneath his mother's ironing board while she ironed and listened to Frank Sinatra. He credits this memory of Sinatra's music as his first mind, body, and soul connection to music, even recalling every little detail of the memory, right down to the smell of the fresh laundry, the steam from the iron, and the rhythm of the spray bottle. In a 2015 interview with wsRadio, he recalls his first gig as a musician at a local VFW Hall in New Jersey at the age of 13, but goes on to say that he always thought of his time playing guitar during his mother's sewing circle meetings at the age of nine as the true first live performances of his musical career. Oriolo was also a huge fan of Elvis at this time, another artist he credits for his life-long love of music.
In addition to playing music as a child, Oriolo was also an avid artist, and had a strong connection with the cartoon characters his father co-created. His infatuation with Felix the Cat started at a young age, and this did not escape his father's notice.Joe Oriolo encouraged Don's artistic and musical talents throughout his childhood and into his adult life, and eventually introduced the younger Oriolo to Winston Sharples, Joe's colleague in the animation world. Sharples, who Don refers to as "Win," became Don's mentor in the entertainment and music arrangement businesses.
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