Happy 90th Birthday, Tony Bennett

Today is Tony Bennett's 90th birthday. The singer was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3 1926 in Queens, New York. He had his very first hit in 1951 with "Because of You", which went all the way to number one on the Billboard singles chart. He would have a very successful career in the Fifties, with such hits as "Cold, Cold Heart", "Rags to Riches", and "Stranger in Paradise". His career would decline slightly after the advent of rock and roll, but he continued to have minor hits in the Sixties. The Eighties saw Tony Bennett make a comeback, with the crooner finding a whole new audience in Generation X. Since then he has continued to perform. Even now, after a career spanning sixty five years, Tony Bennett has never retired. Indeed, he is one of the last of his kind, one of the very last of the classic crooners.

In honour of Tony Bennett's 90th birthday here is his very first hit, "Because of You".