The Late Great Tony Bennett

Legendary crooner Tony Bennett died today, July 21 2023, at the age of 96. In February 2021 he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3 1926 in New York City in Long Island City in Queens. He took to singing when he was very young, and he was only 10 years old when he performed "Marching Along Together" at the opening of the Triborough Bridge, standing beside then New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. His father died when he was only 10, but had an enormous impact on young Tony, giving him both a love of art and literature and a sense of compassion. Tony Bennett attended P.S. 141 and the School of Industrial Art, but had to drop out when he was 16 years old to help make a living for his family as a singing waiter.

Tony Bennett was drafted into the  U.S. Army in 1944. While in the Army he took part in the liberation of the Kaufering concentration camp, a subcamp of Dachau. He would eventually be assigned to Special Services where he sang with a band until he was discharged in 1946. After his service he returned to New York City where he studied singing at the American Theatre Wing on the G.I. Bill. He worked as an elevator operator and sang in nightclubs under the name Joe Bari.

It was in 1949 that Bob Hope saw him open for Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village. Mr. Hope asked Tony Bennett to be his opening act at the  Paramount Theatre in Times Square. It was Bob Hope he suggest that he change his stage name, maintaining "Joe Bari" was not a very good pseudonym. He told Mr. Hope that his given name was Anthony Bennedetto. It was then that Bob Hope decided he should be "Tony Bennett."

In 1950 Tony Bennett was signed to Columbia Records by the legendary Mitch Miller. His first single, "Because of You," was also his first hit. It went to no. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1951. Throughout the Fifties he had several more hits, including "Cold, Cold Heart," "Rags to Riches," and "Stranger in Paradise." His first studio album, Because of You, was released in 1952.

The Sixties saw Tony Bennett have fewer hits on the Billboard Hot 100, largely because of the British Invasion and the growth of rock music. He still regularly hit the Adult Contemporary chart throughout the decade. It was in 1962 that his signature song, his version of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," was released. It peaked at no. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, but spent around a year on various other charts. His 1962 album featuring the song went to no. 5 on the Billboard album chart.

Unfortunately, as the Sixties progressed and into the Seventies, Tony Bennett struggled to maintain his career. None of his songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 during the decade and only a few charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. By the end of the Seventies, he did not have a recording contract nor did he have a manager. Fortunately, his career began to rebound in the Eighties. He once more had a recording contract and his first album in years, 1986's The Art of Excellence, went to no. 160 on the Billboard album chart. In 1986 the song "Life in a Looking Glass," which he performed, from the movie That's Life! (1986), was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song.

It was in the late Eighties and early Nineties that Tony Bennett's comeback continued and he began to attract younger fans. He appeared on several television shows, including Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Muppets Tonight, and several different MTV shows. He even voiced himself on The Simpsons. Once more, his albums regularly charted on the Billboard album chart. He sang duets with several contemporary artists, including k.d. lang, Billy Joel, Michael Bu Bublé, Amy Winehouse, and, most famously, Lady Gaga. Tony Bennett continued to perform until 2021, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His final album, with Lady Gaga, Love for Sale, was released on September 30 2021. In total, Tony Bennett released 61 studio albums, 11 live albums, and 83 singles. He won 20 different Grammy Awards.

In addition to his many appearances on variety shows and talk shows throughout his career, Tony Bennett also took some acting roles. He made his acting debut as Cousin Stephen on an episode of The Danny Thomas Show in 1959. He also guest starred on the shows 77 Sunset Strip and Evening Shade. He guest starred as himself on numerous shows, including The Doris Day Show, Remington Steele, Cybill, Suddenly Susan, Cosby, Entourage, Blue Bloods, 30 Rock, and The Simpsons. He played himself in the mini-series King. He also appeared in the movies The Oscar (1966), The Scout (1994), Analyse This (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), and Muppets Most Wanted (2014).

Tony Bennett also wrote and co-wrote several books. He also painted under his given name Anthony Bennedetto. His artwork was displayed in galleries around the world, and he has paintings that are parts of the permanent collections of various museums around the world.

In addition to being a talented singer, Tony Bennett was also an activist. He was outraged by the treatment of fellow music artists such as Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington, who were often not allowed in hotels or even concert hall dining rooms due to their race. When his friend Harry Belafonte asked him to join him in the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s protest march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama, he eagerly accepted. At the Stars for Freedom rally that took place in Montgomery, he performed for those who had marched alongside such artists as Joan Baez, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Pete Seeger, and many others. He later participated in the boycott of apartheid South Africa and performed for Nelson Mandela when he made his first visit to Britain as South Africa's president. For his work with the Civil Rights movement, Tony Bennett was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta.

If Tony Bennett saw so much success and had such a long career, it is because he was such an talented singer. He had a rich baritone and could sing songs with a diversity of emotions, from sad ballads to more upbeat, happy songs. His voice was also powerful. At various concerts over the years he would sing one song without a microphone and was still able to be heard at the back of the room. In 1965 Frank Sinatra himself said in an interview with Life magazine, "For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He's the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more." It is little wonder that his popularity cut across several generations. Of course, he was also a truly great man, given his service in the United States Army and his dedication to the Civil Rights Movement. Tony Bennett was one of a kind, and we will never see his like again.