Full Name: Anthony Dominick Benedetto
Profession: Singer

Biography: With over 50 million records sold, Tony Bennett recorded his signature song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1962. Other hits include "Because of You", "Rags To Riches", and "The Shadow of Your Smile".

His love of singing was planted by his talented father who passed away when Tony was 10. As a teenager, he entered talent contests and landed a job as a singing waiter. After serving in Europe during World War II, he used his educational benefits to study theater and music.

His first big break was in 1949 as an opening act for Pearl Bailey, which led to his getting noticed by Bob Hope. Hope hired him and suggested the simplified name.

He had some hit records in the 1950s, but became a global name with his rendition of "I left My Heart in San Francisco". He continued to thrive through the 1960s.

Despite experiencing a career downturn at the height of rock music, and personal and financial turmoil in the 1970s, Bennett reached a new audience in the 1980s and 1990s with an appearance on the concert program "MTV Unplugged", and a series of duet albums with contemporary and classic artists.

Bennett won 20 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. He was awarded Kennedy Center Honors in 2005.

He retired just after his 95th birthday in 2021, due to increasing symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.

Born: August 3, 1926
Birthplace: Long Island City, Queens, New York, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Tiger
Star Sign: Leo

Died: July 21, 2023 (aged 96)

Career Highlights

• 1962-06-09 American pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett makes his Carnegie Hall concert debut, NYC
• 1962-10-01 Johnny Carson hosts his 1st "The Tonight Show" on NBC; guests include Rudy Vallée, Tony Bennett, Mel Brooks and Joan Crawford
• 1994-04-15 Jazz singer Tony Bennett records a session for "MTV's Unplugged" series at Sony Studios, NYC, featuring the Ralph Sharon trio, and guest appearances by Elvis Costello, and k.d.lang; album release wins 2 Grammy Awards
• 1996-02-14 "Live by Request" debuts on the A&E Network, based on singer Tony Bennett's idea, the set list was determined by viewer phone calls; Bennett starred in the first episode, wins an Emmy Award (Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program)
• 1998-06-26 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Primal Scream, Blur, and Pulp headline; other performers include Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tori Amos, The Foo Fighters, and Hothouse Flowers
• 1999-04-17 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Don Henley, Ricky Martin and Charles Aznavour
• 2002-06-03 "The Party at the Palace" concert commemorating Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee held at Buckingham Palace Garden in London; performers include: Queen, Annie Lennox, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones; The Corrs; Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson, and Paul McCartney, among others
• 2008-07-18 Billy Joel performs last of two concerts dubbed "The Last Play at Shea"; the final concert event before demolition of the 1964 baseball stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC; featured guests include Roger Daltrey, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney
• 2011-09-15 Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performs with the NY Philharmonic and guests Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, and Pretty Yende, on the Great Lawn of New York City's Central Park; 70,000 in attendance
• 2012-04-30 UNESCO celebrates the 1st International Jazz Day with a daylong celebration in Paris; a sunrise concert in New Orleans’ Congo Square; and a sunset concert at the United Nations in NYC; performers included Tony Bennett, George Benson, Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi, Angelique Kidjo, Lang Lang, Shankar Mahadevan, Hugh Masekela, and Esperanza Spalding
• 2014-09-19 Columbia Records releases "Cheek To Cheek", a duet album of jazz standards by singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; debuts at #1 on Billboard 200, Jazz Albums, and Traditional Jazz Albums charts.
• 2016-08-19 City of San Francisco unveils a statue of singer Tony Bennett outside of the Fairmount Hotel, where he first performed his signature song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1961
• 2017-11-15 American jazz and standards singer Tony Bennett receives Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.
• 2021-08-03 Singer Tony Bennett celebrates his 95th birthday with Lady Gaga in the first of two "farewell" performances at Radio City Music Hall, NYC

Personal Life

• 1952-02-12 American singer Tony Bennett (25) weds art student Patricia Beech, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York; separate in 1965, divorce in 1971
• 1971-12-29 American singer Tony Bennett (45) weds actress Sandra Grant in Manhattan, New York; divorce in 1983
• 2007-06-01 Legendary crooner Tony Bennett (80) weds his longtime girlfriend Susan Crow (47) in New York City

References

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sLrToaCsnJGue6S7zGinnqegobJwwM6nsGaalaO7psDT