| TONY
BENNETT (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on
August 3, 1926) is an American singer of popular music, standards
and jazz who is widely considered to be one of the best
interpretative singers in these genres.
After having achieved artistic and commercial success
in the 1950s and early 1960s, his career suffered an extended
downturn during the height of the rock music era. Bennett staged a
remarkable comeback, however, in the late 1980s and 1990s, expanding
his audience to a younger generation while keeping his musical style
intact. He remains a popular and critically praised recording artist
and concert performer in the 2000s.
Tony Bennett is also a serious and accomplished painter.
Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on
August 13, 1926, in Astoria,
New York, Bennet grew up a child of the
Great Depression. Listening to the music of singers like Bing Crosby,
Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, he knew where he
wanted to be. As a young man with a mission, Tony did everything
from sing as a waiter to perform with the American Forces Network
orchestra. In 1949, he got his first break when singer Pearl Bailey
(left) asked him to open for her in Greenwich Village.
She also invited comedian Bob Hope to the show.
Hope was so impressed with Tony's performance that he took him under
his wing. He convinced Bennett to shorten his name and by the time
he recorded his first demo album, Anthony Benedetto had become Tony
Bennett. The demo found its way to Mitch Miller, who signed him to
the Columbia label.
While Bennett was signing on Columbia Records' esteemed roster,
superstar crooner Frank Sinatra was just leaving the label due to
the ever-popular "creative differences." A young, impressionable
Bennett thought Columbia
was looking for another Sinatra, but he was quickly advised to stop
imitating "Old Blue Eyes" and develop a style of his own.
Tony performed commercial pop tunes such as "Blue Velvet," "Rags to
Riches," and "Stranger in Paradise" at
sold-out concerts to screaming teenage fans. His pianist and musical
director Ralph Sharon saw the short shelf-life of such bubblegum
material and urged Tony to record a jazz album of more lasting
power.
Tony's 1957 album, Beat of My Heart, changed his sound
forever. Accompanied by some of top drummers and percussionists in
jazz -- Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Candido, and Chico Hamilton -- and
other high-profile musicians like Herbie Mann, Milt Hinton, and Nat
Adderley, the ambitious concept-album was a hit.
Bennett followed up by teaming with Count Basie and his well-known
orchestra. Tony became the first male pop star to ever sing with
Basie's band. In 1958, Roulette released Basie Swings, Bennett Sings,
which featured the classics "Chicago" and "Jeepers Creepers."
In
June 1962, Tony held one of his most successful concert performances
at Carnegie Hall. He brought together some of the best musicians
available including saxophonist Al Cohn, guitarist Kenny Burrell,
and percussionist Candido along with the Ralph Sharon Trio.
Tony produced many hits for the Columbia
label, but then the music industry started to shift with the
changing musical trends. By the start of the 1970s, rock acts such
as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and The Beatles had all but taken over.
Columbia wanted Tony to sing tunes made hits
by rock groups; the pressure was on for him to keep up.
Eventually Tony left the Columbia
label and moved to England,
where he performed at consistently sold-out concerts. He recorded
sparsely during this time, but he did make two great albums, The
Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album and Together Again, with legendary
pianist Bill Evans.
In
1986, Tony re-signed with Columbia
-- this time with more creative freedom. In 1992,
Columbia
released the Grammy-winning, Perfectly Frank, a collection of songs
popularized by Frank Sinatra. Two years later, Tony won the Grammy
for "Best Album of the Year" with MTV Unplugged.
Now
in his eighties, Tony Bennett has a revitalized his career and is
now more popular among a wider audience of fans than ever. In 2001,
Columbia
released Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues, which
featured a cast of superstars including Stevie Wonder, k.d. Lang,
Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, and Ray Charles.
(info from NPR org jazz profiles) |
