Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett
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Name	Tony Bennett
Caption	Bennett in 2021
Birth name	Anthony Dominick Benedetto
Birth date	03 August 1926
Birth place	Queens, New York City, U.S.
Death date	21 July 2023
Death place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1936–2021
Spouse	Patricia Beech (m. 1952; div. 1971), Sandra Grant (m. 1971; div. 1983), Susan Crow (m. 2007)
Children	4, including Antonia Bennett
Genre	Traditional pop, jazz, big band, standards
Label	Columbia, MGM, Verve, Improv
Website	tonybennett.com

Tony Bennett was an American singer of traditional pop, jazz, and big band standards. Renowned for his clear, warm voice and impeccable phrasing, his career spanned over seven decades, earning him widespread acclaim and numerous accolades. He was also a accomplished painter, with works displayed in several major institutions, and was known for his significant philanthropic efforts.

Early life and education

Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Queens, he was raised during the Great Depression in a working-class Italian-American family. His father, a grocer, died when he was young, and his mother worked as a seamstress. He attended the High School of Industrial Art in Manhattan, where he studied music and painting, before being drafted into the United States Army during World War II, serving in Europe as an infantryman. After the war, he studied singing at the American Theatre Wing under the GI Bill, honing the vocal techniques that would define his career.

Music career

His breakthrough came in 1949 when Bob Hope saw him perform and suggested he change his stage name. Signed to Columbia Records by Mitch Miller, his first major hit was "Because of You" in 1951, followed by his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", which won two Grammy Awards in 1962. Throughout the 1960s, he was a mainstay on television, appearing on programs like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and his own specials. After a period of commercial challenge in the 1970s, he staged a major comeback in the 1980s and 1990s, releasing acclaimed albums like MTV Unplugged, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. His later career was marked by celebrated duet albums, including collaborations with Lady Gaga on Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2005 and a Library of Congress Gershwin Prize in 2017.

Art career

Under his birth name, Anthony Benedetto, he maintained a parallel career as a painter, specializing in landscapes and portraits. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries worldwide, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Butler Institute of American Art. Many of his paintings are held in the permanent collection of the National Arts Club in New York City, and his portrait of his friend and collaborator Duke Ellington hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. His artistic pursuits were deeply intertwined with his music, often describing both as expressions of the same creative impulse.

Personal life and philanthropy

He was married three times, first to Patricia Beech, then to actress Sandra Grant Bennett, and finally to former teacher Susan Crow, with whom he co-founded the Exploring the Arts foundation to support arts education in public schools. A lifelong Democrat, he was an active participant in the Civil rights movement, marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma in 1965. He also established the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, a public high school dedicated to arts education. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016 but continued to perform and record until his retirement in 2021.

Legacy and influence

Widely regarded as one of the greatest interpreters of the Great American Songbook, he is credited with preserving and popularizing classic American standards for new generations. His collaborations with artists from k.d. lang to Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga bridged musical genres and eras. With over 50 million records sold worldwide and 20 Grammy Awards, his impact on popular music is profound. His dedication to both music and fine art, along with his humanitarian work, cemented his status as a true Renaissance man and an enduring icon of 20th and 21st-century American culture.

Category:American male singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American jazz singers