Tony Bennett, the legendary musician, was born as Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Queens, New York. He started his career in an unexpected way, working as a singing waiter at an Italian restaurant in his neighborhood. Bennett loved that time of his life, and he felt that he would have been perfectly happy going back to being a singing waiter if he had not made it professionally.
After his service in the war was over, Bennett started studying singing at the American Theatre Wing. His singing coach, Mimi Spencer, influenced his career a great deal. She advised him not to imitate other singers but musicians instead. Billie Holiday said in her book that she imitated Louis Armstrong. Bennett imitated Art Tatum, a jazz pianist who held onto the basic melody like a rock but had astounding chords and sense of accompaniment.
In 1949, Bennett performed under the name Joe Bari until he met singer, comedian, and performer Bob Hope, who believed that Tony Bennett was the perfect fit. During his long career, Bennett released 60 studio albums, 11 live albums, and sold 50 million records worldwide. He had many hits that brought him numerous awards, but the song that defined his singing career was “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
Bennett recalled how he first heard the song while on the way to San Francisco with Ralph Sharon, who said, “You have to listen to this song.” When they got to San Francisco, they started performing it, and everybody said, “Where did you find that song? You need to record it right away.” They recorded it, and it became the biggest record Bennett ever had. The song is so important that it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2018 for being “culturally, historically, or artistically significant.”
In recent years, Bennett has been performing with huge names such as late Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. Unfortunately, in 2016, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but it was not until 2018 that he started to show signs of the disease. Despite experiencing cognitive issues, “multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well,” according to his neurologist, Dr. Gayartri Devi.
“He is doing so many things at 94. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder,” Dr. Devi said, adding that Bennett’s wife, Susan, deserves credit for her “level of devotion.” Bennett was spotted at the Tony’s MTV Unplugged Concert, where he performed with Lady Gaga, accompanied by his wife.
In August, Bennett is expected to perform at New York’s Radio City Music Hall along with Lady Gaga, coinciding with his 95th birthday. According to CNN, it would be their final performance together and the final performance of Bennett’s career. The press release said that it is “set appropriately at a venue that Tony has enjoyed a multi-decade run of sold-out shows.”
In addition to being one of the most famous musicians, Bennett is also a painter. He signs all his paintings with his born name, Anthony Benedetto.
In conclusion, Tony Bennett’s long and successful career has had a significant impact on the music industry. His unique style and beautiful voice have made him a beloved musician all around the world. Despite facing cognitive issues due to Alzheimer’s, Bennett continues to perform, bringing joy to his fans. His upcoming performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall will undoubtedly be an unforgettable moment for his fans and a beautiful end to a remarkable career.
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