Tony Bennett

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Tony Bennett, 2008

Tony Bennett (born August 3, 1926 in New York ; actually Anthony Dominick Benedetto ) is an American jazz singer and entertainer. He is one of the most popular artists in the USA, won 19 Grammys alone and sold over 50 million records. He also gained international fame with titles like I Left My Heart in San Francisco . From the 1980s onwards, Bennett was able to further expand his audience through new recordings of well-known songs and collaborations with younger artists.

Career as a singer

The beginnings

At the age of 10, Benedetto, the son of a grocer, was born in Astoria, Queens , New York . He made his first vocal appearance at the opening ceremony of Triborough Bridge in his hometown. Until 1942 he attended the High School of Industrial Art (with a focus on music and painting), after which he hired himself as a "singing waiter" in Italian restaurants in Queens.

Drafted into the army in 1944, he fought, among other things, in the Battle of the Bulge . In 1945 he came to Germany with the 63rd US Infantry Division and remained stationed there in Mannheim until 1946 . Under the stage name Joe Bari he appeared as a singer with various military orchestras. After returning to the USA, he initially kept the name, deepened his musical training and worked in numerous smaller music clubs in his hometown. In 1949 the singer Pearl Bailey engaged him for her opening act; there he was discovered by Bob Hope and called himself Tony Bennett from then on at Hope's suggestion .

The successes of Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s

In 1950 Bennett got a recording contract with Columbia Records and landed a respectable success with the single The Boulevard of Broken Dreams . In the following years Bennett quickly rose to become one of the most popular singers in the USA, giving acclaimed concert series at New York's Paramount Theater and with his singles Because of You (1951), Cold Cold Heart (1951), Rags to Riches (1953) and Stranger in Paradise (1953) he made it to the top of the US charts four times. In 1951 he also released the then unsuccessful single Blue Velvet , which over the years developed into a real classic and an often-covered hit. With the latter song, which also topped the charts in Great Britain , Bennett established his popularity in Europe.

His first LP Because of You (1952) was followed in 1955 by the album Cloud 7 with guitarist Chuck Wayne (Bennett's orchestra leader from 1954 to 1957) and in 1957 by the LP The Beat of My Heart , on which Bennett demonstrated his strengths as a jazz singer Music genre, to which he increasingly devoted himself from 1957 , accompanied by his new pianist and long-time orchestra director Ralph Sharon . As one of the first singers of his division, he worked on two albums with Count Basie and his orchestra ( Basie Swings, Bennett Sings , 1958; In Person! With Count Basie , 1959).

As a vacation replacement for Perry Como , Bennett received his own television show ( The Tony Bennett Show ) for a few weeks in the summer of 1959 . As an actor, he worked in several episodes of the television series 77 Sunset Strip in 1963 and took on a role in the Hollywood film The Oscar in 1966 (German: ... because nobody is without guilt ).

In 1962 he gave a gala concert at New York's Carnegie Hall , which was also released as a live album by Columbia. In addition, numerous other studio albums appeared in quick succession with Columbia, of which I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962) and I Wanna Be Around (1963) were particularly successful. Bennett won two Grammys in 1963 with the single I Left My Heart in San Francisco ; the song is now considered one of his branded melodies. Bennett received additional Grammy nominations for I Wanna Be Around (1963), Who Can I Turn To (1964) and The Shadow of Your Smile (1965).

In 1965 Bennett and Sharon separated. Bennett's request from his record company to focus more on contemporary pop music on his albums was only followed with increasing reluctance, and his LPs (including the notable success For Once in My Life , 1967) were selling increasingly poorly (such as Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today , 1969).

In 1967 Bennett engaged Torrie Zito as a touring pianist, musical director and at times also as an arranger; Zito worked with Bennett for the next seven years.

The crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s

In 1972 Bennett moved for a short time from Columbia to the MGM Records label , where he brought out two albums, which, however, were also not very successful, so that he soon found himself without a permanent record deal.

Bennett then founded his own record label Improv Records, for which he produced two albums with songs by Rodgers and Hart and, together with jazz pianist Bill Evans, recorded his two best jazz albums ( The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album 1975, Tony Bennett and Bill Evans - Together Again 1977). But the commercial success initially failed, so that Bennett had to give up the label at the end of the 1970s.

Bennett has not recorded any new records for nearly ten years and has survived by performing in concerts in Las Vegas while the tax authorities temporarily confiscated his home in Los Angeles . A cocaine overdose nearly killed him in 1979.

In the early 1980s, Bennett found his way back to a regular life, moved back to New York and reunited with Ralph Sharon and his trio, while his son Danny Bennett took over the business as a manager. After a number of successful concert appearances on smaller New York music stages and in some popular TV shows, Bennett made a comeback in 1986 with his old Columbia Records label, which signed him again.

The comeback at Columbia since 1986

After his successful return to Columbia with albums like The Art of Excellence (1986) and the musical retrospective Astoria - Portrait of the Artist (1990), Bennett won a Grammy in 1993 for his jazz album Perfectly Frank (1992), a tribute to his friend and admirer Frank Sinatra . Just a year later, he was able to receive another Grammy for Steppin 'Out , a tribute to Fred Astaire . With How Do You Keep the Music Playing? Bennett was also able to establish a second branded song.

After a video with the theme song from Steppin 'Out ran very successfully on the music broadcaster MTV , Bennett, accompanied by Ralph Sharon, produced MTV Unplugged : Tony Bennett in 1994 , a complete jazz concert special with Elvis Costello and kd lang as guest stars, which set for rating records and ensured it continued popularity with the predominantly younger audience. The accompanying Columbia album went platinum and won two Grammys.

Since then, Bennett has been able to win numerous other awards with his regularly released new Columbia albums, including tributes to jazz greats Billie Holiday , Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong ; between 1996 and 2011, Bennett received eight other Grammys for best traditional pop album of the year. Bennett won an Emmy for his concert special Live by Request - A Valentine's Special (1996) . In 1998 he was inducted into the American Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame ; In 2001 he received a Grammy for his life's work. For 2006 Bennett received a Jazz Masters Fellowship from the state NEA Foundation , the highest honor for jazz musicians in the USA.

Together with jazz critic Will Friedwald , Bennett brought out his autobiography The Good Life in 1998 .

On his 80th birthday, Bennett released the album Duets - An American Classic in 2006 , on which newly recorded electronic duets with artists such as Bono , Michael Bublé , the Dixie Chicks , Elvis Costello , Celine Dion , Billy Joel , Elton John , Juanes , Diana Krall , kdlang , Paul McCartney , Tim McGraw , George Michael , Barbra Streisand , James Taylor and Stevie Wonder are represented. The 2006 television special of the same name won three Emmys in 2007 , including one for Bennett himself.

Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga on the Cheek to Cheek tour (2015)

Bennett continues to go on concert tours in the USA and in Europe (especially in Great Britain and Italy), where he was seen around the spring of 2007, mainly with a small jazz combo. Since Ralph Sharon's departure in 2003, the pianist Lee Musik has been its director. In October 2011 a concert took place at the London Palladium .

In 2010 Bennett was one of around 80 musicians who took part in the Artists for Haiti project for the earthquake victims in Haiti and sang the song We Are the World .

Shortly after his 85th birthday, Bennett released the album Duets II in September 2011 , on which again newly recorded electronic duets with Andrea Bocelli , Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey , Natalie Cole , Sheryl Crow , Aretha Franklin , Josh Groban , Faith Hill , Norah Jones , Lady Gaga , kd lang, John Mayer , Willie Nelson , Queen Latifah , Alejandro Sanz , Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse can be heard. As the oldest living artist to date, he made it to number one on the Billboard album charts .

In November 2011 Sony published Tony Bennett - The Complete Collection, a comprehensive retrospective that contains all albums and singles (including previously unreleased studio recordings) as well as a number of concert recordings on 73 CDs and 3 DVDs.

In October 2012 Bennett released a third duet album with exclusively Latin American artists under the name Viva Duets , on the title in English, Spanish and Portuguese were sung. In September 2014 Cheek to Cheek was released , which he recorded together with Lady Gaga. A year later appeared The Silver Lining , joint recordings with Bill Charlap of Jerome core rhythm songs.

family

In 1952, Bennett married Patricia Beech. The marriage has two sons: D'Andrea (called "Danny" ) Bennett, who has worked as a producer and manager for his father since the 1980s, and Daegal (called "Dae" ) Bennett, who has been a sound engineer since the 1990s. Looked after his father's recordings for years. The couple separated in 1965 and divorced in 1971.

His two daughters, Joanna and Antonia, came from his marriage to the actress Sandra Grant , whom he met in 1965 while filming The Oscar . In 1980 the couple divorced.

Tony Bennett has been in a relationship with teacher Susan Crow since the mid-1980s; the two married on July 21, 2007.

painting

Since his early youth, Bennett has devoted himself to painting almost every day, especially watercolors , and cultivated this hobby during his many concert tours. His works, which he signed with his maiden name Benedetto, have been shown at numerous exhibitions in the USA, including at the United Nations , and also in various European galleries, most recently in London in 2005 . In 1996 Bennett published many of his works in the self-commented illustrated book What My Heart Has Seen ; in addition, Bennett runs a separate website dedicated to his painting.

Patronage

Together with his partner (and today's third wife), Bennett founded the "Exploring the Arts" foundation in 1988, which supports young up-and-coming artists in various fields in their training.

In memory of his friend and professional colleague Frank Sinatra , Bennett founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, New York, in 2001 , which offers courses in instrumental music, singing, dance, theater and fine arts and which Bennett supports with numerous charity appearances. In September 2009 the school moved to its own building in Astoria, the neighborhood where Bennett was born.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Prices

  • 1962: Record of the Year ( I Left My Heart in San Francisco , Columbia single)
  • 1962: Best Male Vocal Performance ( I Left My Heart in San Francisco , Columbia single)
  • 1992: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Perfectly Frank , Columbia)
  • 1993: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Steppin 'Out , Columbia)
  • 1994: Album of the Year ( MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett , Columbia)
  • 1994: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett , Columbia)
  • 1996: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Here's to the Ladies , Columbia)
  • 1997: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Tony Bennett on Holiday , Columbia)
  • 1999: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album ( Bennett Sings Ellington - Hot and Cool , Columbia)
  • 2000: Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2001: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Playing with My Friends - Bennett Sings the Blues , Columbia)
  • 2003: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( A Wonderful World , Columbia) (together with kd lang )
  • 2005: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( The Art of Romance , Columbia)
  • 2006: Best Pop Duet ( For Once in My Life , Columbia) (with Stevie Wonder )
  • 2006: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( Duets - An American Classic , Columbia)
  • 2011: Best pop performance by a duo / group ( Body and Soul , with Amy Winehouse )
  • 2011: Best Singing Album - Traditional Pop ( Duets II , with various interpreters)
  • 2015: Best Singing Album - Traditional Pop ( Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga )
  • 2016: Best Vocal Album - Traditional Pop ( The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern with Bill Charlap )

Nominations

  • 1963: Best Male Vocal Performance ( I Wanna Be Around , Columbia)
  • 1964: Best Male Vocal Performance ( Who Can I Turn To , Columbia)
  • 1965: Best Male Vocal Performance ( The Shadow of Your Smile , Columbia)
  • 1990: Best Jazz Singing Album ( Astoria - Portrait of the Artist , Columbia)
  • 1994: Best Pop Duet ( Moonglow , Columbia, with kd lang)
  • 2007: Best Pop Duet ( Steppin'Out , Columbia, with Christina Aguilera )
  • 2009: Best Traditional Pop Singing Album ( A Swingin 'Christmas , Columbia, with the Count Basie Orchestra )

Emmy Awards

Prices

  • 1996: Outstanding performance in a music program ( Live By Request - A Valentine's Special )
  • 2007: Outstanding performance in a music program ( Tony Bennett: An American Classic )

Further prices

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1957 Tony - - - - US14 (9 weeks)
US
First published: January 14, 1957
Producer: Ernest Altschuler
1962 I Left My Heart in San Francisco - - - UK13 (14 weeks)
UK
US5
platinum
platinum

(149 weeks)US
First published: June 18, 1962
Chart entry in UK only in May 1965
Producer: Ernest Altschuler
1963 I Wanna Be Around ... - - - - US5 (44 weeks)
US
First published: February 18, 1963
Producer: Ernest Altschuler, band leader: Marty Manning
This Is All I Ask - - - - US24 (30 weeks)
US
First published: July 1963
Producer: Ernest Altschuler, Bandleader: Ralph Burns feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
1964 The Many Moods of Tony - - - - US20 (24 weeks)
US
First published: February 1964
Producer: Ernest Altschuler, Bandleader: Dick Hyman feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
When Lights Are Low - - - - US79 (12 weeks)
US
First published: April 20, 1964
Producer: Ernest Altschuler feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
1965 Who Can I Turn To - - - - US42 (19 weeks)
US
First published: November 16, 1964
Producer: Ernest Altschuler, Bandleader: George Siravo feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set - - - - US47 (22 weeks)
US
First published: April 19, 1965
Producer: Ernest Altschuler, Bandleader: Don Costa feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
1966 The Movie Song Album - - - - US18 (29 weeks)
US
First published: January 31, 1966
Producer: Ernest Altschuler
Bandleader: Johnny Mandel , Neal Hefti , Quincy Jones
1967 A time for love - - - - US68 (18 weeks)
US
First published: August 29, 1966
Producers: Ernie Altschuler, Vic Lewis
Tony Makes It Happen! - - - UK31 (3 weeks)
UK
US178 (6 weeks)
US
First published: April 1967,
Producer: Howard Roberts , Bandleader: Marion Evans
For Once in My Life - - - UK29 (5 weeks)
UK
US164 (7 weeks)
US
First published: December 1967
Producers: Howard Roberts, Ernie Altschuler
1969 I've gotta be me - - - - US137 (5 weeks)
US
First release: August 1969
Producer: Jimmy Wisner
Bandleader: Peter Matz , Torrie Zito
1970 Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! - - - - US144 (11 weeks)
US
First published: January 7th, 1970
Producer: Wally Gold, Bandleader: Peter Matz
Tony Bennett's Something - - - - US193 (2 weeks)
US
First published: November 14, 1970
Producer: Teo Macero , Bandleader: Peter Matz
1971 Love story - - - - US67 (13 weeks)
US
First published: February 1971
Producers: Ernie Altschuler, Howard Roberts, Teo Macero
1972 Summer of '42 - - - - US182 (4 weeks)
US
First published: February 1972
Producers: Howard Roberts, Teo Macero
With love - - - - US167 (14 weeks)
US
First published: 1972
The Good Things in Life - - - - US196 (6 weeks)
US
First published: October 12, 1972
with Robert Farnon and His Orchestra
1986 The Art of Excellence - - - - US160 (8 weeks)
US
First published: May 3, 1986
Producer: Danny Bennett, with The Ralph Sharon Trio
1992 Perfectly Frank - - - - US102
gold
gold

(26 weeks)US
First published: September 15, 1992
Tribute to Frank Sinatra
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance)
Producer: Andre Fischer
1993 Steppin 'out - - - - US128
gold
gold

(16 weeks)US
First published: October 5, 1993
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance)
Producer: David Kahne
feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
1995 Here's to the ladies - - - - US96 (9 weeks)
US
First release: October 24, 1995
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance)
Producer: David Kahne
feat. The Ralph Sharon Trio
1997 Tony Bennett on Holiday: A Tribute to Billie Holiday - - - - US101 (5 weeks)
US
First released: February 4, 1997
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance)
Producers: Tony Bennett, Danny Bennett, Phil Ramone
1999 Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool - - - - US161 (3 weeks)
US
First published: September 28, 1999
Cover album for the 100th birthday of Duke Ellington
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance)
Producers: Danny Bennett, Tony Bennett, Phil Ramone
2001 Playin 'with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues - - - UK96 (1 week)
UK
US50 (10 weeks)
US
First released: November 6, 2001
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: Phil Ramone
2002 A wonderful world - - - UK33 (3 weeks)
UK
US41
gold
gold

(18 weeks)US
First release: November 5th, 2002
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: T-Bone Burnett , with kd lang
2004 The Art of Romance - - - - US65 (5 weeks)
US
First released: November 9, 2004
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: Phil Ramone
2006 Duets: An American Classic - - - UK15th
gold
gold

(10 weeks)UK
US3
platinum
platinum

(57 weeks)US
First released: September 26th, 2006
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: Phil Ramone
2008 A swingin 'Christmas - - - - US28 (9 weeks)
US
First release: October 14, 2008
Producer: Phil Ramone feat. The Count Basie Big Band
2011 Duets II DE19 (5 weeks)
DE
AT7 (7 weeks)
AT
CH14 (8 weeks)
CH
UK5
gold
gold

(17 weeks)UK
US1
platinum
platinum

(35 weeks)US
First released: September 20, 2011
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: Phil Ramone
2012 Viva Duets - - - - US5 (11 weeks)
US
First published: October 22, 2012
2013 The Classics - - - UK35 (2 weeks)
UK
-
First published: September 3, 2013
Chart entry in UK only in April 2014
2014 Cheek to Cheek DE12 (4 weeks)
DE
AT6 (13 weeks)
AT
CH7 (8 weeks)
CH
UK10
silver
silver

(14 weeks)UK
US1
gold
gold

(30 weeks)US
First release: September 23, 2014
Grammy (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)
Producer: Dae Bennett, with Lady Gaga
2015 The Silver Lining: The Music of Jerome Kern - - - - US96 (1 week)
US
First published: September 25, 2015
with Bill Charlap
2016 Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 - - - - US35 (2 weeks)
US
First published: December 16, 2016
2018 Love is here to stay DE20 (2 weeks)
DE
AT4 (7 weeks)
AT
CH12 (4 weeks)
CH
UK33 (1 week)
UK
US11 (4 weeks)
US
First published: September 14, 2018
with Diana Krall

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Movies

Documentation

  • 2006: Tony Bennett: An American Classic . Director: Rob Marshall .
  • 2007: Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends . Directed by Bruce Ricker .
  • 2012: The Zen of Bennett . Directed by Danny Bennett.

literature

Autobiography

  • Tony Bennett with Will Friedwald: The Good Life. The Autobiography of Tony Bennett. New York City: Diane Pub Co, 1998. ISBN 0-7567-5670-7 .

painting

Web links

Commons : Tony Bennett  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joanne Kaufmann: Tony Bennett at Age 80 - an American Classic. (chargeable). Wall Street Journal , September 14, 2006, accessed May 15, 2019 .
  2. Interview with Tony Bennett I experienced hell in the first row Article in the Spiegel from January 15, 2017 (accessed on January 16, 2017)
  3. ^ Tony Bennett The Art of Romance
  4. Keith Caulfield: Tony Bennett, 85, Achieves First No.1 Album on Billboard 200 , Billboard article , September 28, 2011 (accessed September 30, 2011)
  5. ^ Gary Graff: Tony Bennet Box Set Includes 2 Lost LPs, 73 CDs , Billboard article on August 30, 2011 (accessed December 2, 2011) .
  6. Exploring the Arts website of the foundation (accessed March 23, 2011) .
  7. ^ Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (accessed March 23, 2011) .
  8. Chart sources: Singles Albums DE UK US
  9. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
  10. Biographical Notes on Bruce Ricker at Pasoroble Film Festival
  11. The Zen of Bennett at IMDb.