Bennett, Tony

No one in popular American music recorded music for so long and at such a high level of excellence than Tony Bennett. In the last ten years alone he sold ten million records. The essence of his longevity and high artistic achievement was imbued in him in his loving childhood home in the Astoria section of Queens where he was born on August 3, 1926. As a teenager, Tony sang while waiting on tables and then enlisted in the Army during World War II and while in Europe he performed with military bands, in between participating in historic events such as The Battle of The Bulge and the liberation of concentration camps. Bennett’s big break came in 1949 when comedian Bob Hope noticed him working with Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village in New York City.

With millions of records sold world-wide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett received nineteen Grammy Awards -- including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his MTV Unplugged CD which introduced this American master to a whole new generation -- and the Grammy Lifetime Award. His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950s, including such chart-toppers as Because of You, Rags to Riches, and a remake of Hank Williams Cold, Cold Heart. He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including I Wanna Be Around, The Good Life, Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) and his signature song, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, which garnered him two Grammy Awards.

Tony Bennett was one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and now in the first two decades of the 21st century. Tony became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2005, was named an NEA Jazz Master in January of 2006, a Citizen of the World award from the United Nations and a Billboard Magazine Century Award in honor of his outstanding contributions to music. In November 2017, the Library of Congress presented Tony with The Gershwin Prize marking the first time the honor has been bestowed upon an 'interpretive singer' as to date it has been given to composers.

In the new millennium, Bennett’s artistry and popularity was higher than ever. In 2006, the year of his 80th birthday, his Duets: An American Classic was released. The album — which included performances with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Bono and others — won three Grammy Awards and went on to be one of the best-selling CDs of the year and Tony's career. Bennett’s first Duets album also inspired the Rob Marshall - directed television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic which won seven Emmys making it the most honored program at the 2007 Emmy Awards. In celebration of his 85th birthday in 2011 the release of Bennett's highly anticipated, Duets II, featured Tony performing with a new roster of celebrated artists including, the late Amy Winehouse (her last recording was their duet of Body and Soul), Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and many others. Duets II debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Tony the only artist at the age of 85 to achieve this in the history of recorded music. Tony's collaborative jazz album with Lady Gaga, released in 2014, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts making Bennett, at the age of 88, the oldest artists to have a #1 album - breaking his own previously established historical record. Cheek To Cheek won a Grammy in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal category.

In 2021, Tony celebrated his 95th birthday marked by the release of a follow-up collaborative album with Lady Gaga celebrating the music of Cole Porter, Love For Sale. Tony and Lady Gaga performed two live concerts at Radio City marking Tony's last public performances that aired as a prime-time special, ONE LAST TIME: An Evening with Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga. Love For Sale garnered Bennett his 20th Grammy Award and he became the second oldest performer to win a Grammy. Sadly, Tony passed away in 2023, yet his impact on the world remains.

SNOWFALL: THE TONY BENNETT CHRISTMAS ALBUM SEVEN ARRANGEMENT SET

Recorded by Tony Bennett

Arranged by Robert Farnon

Seven Jazz Big Band Arrangements with Vocal

Jazz Lines Publications

JLP-1066

$445.00

The Global Source for Jazz

Bennett, Tony