OT- Goodbye Tony Bennett
The wife and I saw him perform in Vegas about 5 years ago. I got front row seats to whatever auditorium he was playing in and he absolutely brought the house down.
I'll never forget that for his last song he put the mike down and sang, unassisted, at 91, loud enough that everyone could hear him clearly. What a set of pipes he had.
RIP Tony
I was at that show. He was a true legend and seemed to be a hell of a nice guy too!
RIP to a great person and singer. I'm glad I was able to see him about 10 years ago at Ravinia.
When he performed at a Christmas concert at WMU's Miller auditorium years back he didn't use a mike...at all. That's absolutely ridiculous.
Sinatra when asked who his favorite singer was said Tony Bennett.
user name and all of that....
Indeed!
Saw Sinatra twice (including once in the front row) but truly regret not seeing Tony Bennett. Just an awesome talent. His Stepping Out album is my favorite.
Two pretty different singers, no argument from me that Sinatra is the GOAT, but it’s fun to appreciate their different interpretations of a classic (Just the Way You Look Tonight, e.g. - though you could argue it was almost always Frankie who made any song he sang a classic!)
Still, Bennett’s story is amazing for his longevity, and especially, his comeback, and relevance to the MTV generation and to contemporary music in general.
true. I believe the quote was something along the lines of "he has the best set of pipes in the business"
it's one of those like if you wanted to argue...who would you even posit to start tho?
I met him in 2009 in NY. Consummate gentleman and a genuinely happy dude. Always smiling and willing to work with anyone who wanted to sing. His Duets II album is absolutely incredible
His duet with Streisand in #1 was enough for me to wish for a full duets album. Their voices were like a perfect match - in a classical sense. RIP Sweet T
I was lucky to see him on his last tour at the Durham Performing Arts center in NC (2017 maybe?)...my wife is a big fan and I was suprised by how amazing he was live at that age...a legend of music for sure. RIP Tony
I saw him at Ravinia - an outdoor music theatre near Chicago - a few years ago. He was fantastic.
Thoughts and prayers to him and his family - and, a life well-lived.
Old guard leaving us. Trying to think of who's left.
I saw him at Pine Knob years ago. I was drug there kicking and screaming and left wishing I had seen him sooner.
RIP Tony, you were one of the greats.
Johnny Mathis and Bobby Vinton are the only two I can think of off the top of my head that are still with us in that style of music.
RIP Tony.
would tom jones count? 'it's not unusual...' 'she's a lady', 'what's new pussycat'
I recently saw one of those Youtube videos that feature a young African-American woman listening to music that she's unfamiliar with. (People send in suggestions, she listens, and gives her on-camera opinion.) After listening very favorably to one of Sir Tom's big hits from the 60's, she christened him a "charter member in the PDC" (Panty Dropping Club.)
Even in his 80's. Sir Tom still has it.
The word legend gets thrown around far too often for Tony Bennett it is truly deserved. I always thought Tony was way better than Frank.
I never saw him perform—though I did see him on the street once (and was struck by how short he was)—but a pal of mine was his assistant for a while. That pal said he was a nice guy.
Rest in peace, Mr. Bennett.
The last of the great crooners. He kept performing even through dementia. The consummate performer. They say he was the model for The Godfather's Johnny Fontaine. RIP Maestro.
I'm pretty sure Fontaine was Frank, not Tony. In the Godfather Fontaine was a singer/actor (like Frank), not just a singer (like Tony).
Rumor had it that a lot of Sinatra's early movie roles were casted as "favors".
Those rumors about Sinatra were/are accurate.
Not only an incredible voice, but also a Nazi-fighter and a civil rights champion. What a legacy.
Not only an incredible voice, but also a Nazi-fighter and a civil rights champion. What a legacy.
Rest in Peace, Tony Bennett. He was truly a great.
RIP Anthony Dominick Benedetto. You lived a magnificent life, and brought joy to many.
I was confused at first and thought it was Virginia's basketball coach.
not my style of music but some of the greatest pipes I have ever heard.
my mom is sad today
Went to see Billy Joel as MSG once and Tony came out and they sang "New York State of Mind" together. Pretty cool.
just saw the video of that on YouTube. Thanks. Also an even better duet from 2007 I believe. The Madison Square garden video was from 2019. He had to be 92 or 93. Incredible.
What a career. It spans 10 decades. His signature hit was released the same year U-M won its last baseball national championship and the same year I was born. RIP
Saw him live in Detroit a couple years ago and he was still killing it. Mrs.93 and I preferred his version of The Way You Look Tonight, which is our jam.
RIP.
Rest in Peace,Anthony Dominick Benedetto.
Bobby Darin(Walden Cassotto), Connie Francis(Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), Dean Martin(Dino Paul Crocetti), Frankie Valli(Francesco Stephen Castelluccio)…it’s amazing how many iconic Italian American singers had to change their names to make them more acceptable to the WASP audience.
Sinatra was the only one who used his actual name.
Rita Hayworth's birth name was Margarita Carmen Cansino. Martin Sheen's is Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez. Both had Spanish (from Spain) fathers but felt compelled to change their names. The list of Jewish actors and performers who changed names to appeal to the mainstream is very long. Theda Bara, Harry Houdini, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Tony Curtis, Rodney Dangerfield, Winona Ryder, Natalie Portman, Woody Allen, Gene Simmons, and more.
America...
An OG fellow Italiano ... King of the Crooners
He will be missed
What a voice!
I had the privilege of working in a record store during an in-store appearance by Tony Bennett. He demonstrated absolute kindness and epitomized class to everyone he interacted with from the store staff to the people who showed up for autographs. His son, who was also his manager, had to drag him away - the man would've stayed and chatted with people all afternoon.
We lost our Mom just before Christmas. Tony was one of her favorite singers. I like to think that now she's in the front row of a dual concert featuring Tony Bennett and Andy Williams. For Mom, that would be heaven.
Last of the 40s-60s crooners. Great voice! RIP!