Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett (b. August 3rd, 1926)
a.k.a. Anthony Dominick Benedetto

BENNETT'S BEST
Tony Bennett's Six-Decade Career Gets a Grand Overview on Essential
Long before vocalist Tony Bennett charmed an MTV audience or toured with k. d. lang, he was a '50s heartthrob with a string of hit singles. Recordings of "Because of You," "Blue Velvet," "Stranger in Paradise," and "Just in Time" are among the chart-makers that led up to his 1962 recording of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," the hit that sent Bennett's voice around the world. These singles and more recent album cuts are collected on the two-CD set The Essential Tony Bennett. It tells the story of Anthony Benedetto's rise to the top, his survival throughout the rock 'n' roll era, his 1994 comeback recording, MTV Unplugged, and beyond. Barnes & Noble.com's Roberta Penn caught Bennett between summer concerts to ask him about his early days of recording and to find out what the future holds.

Barnes & Noble.com: The Essential Tony Bennett is loaded with singles from your early career. Do you miss those days of singles?

Tony Bennett: Actually, I have always loved the album format and would often tie a whole project around a theme, such as The Beat of My Heart, which was an all-percussion album, or The Movie Song Album, which was songs from films. So early on I was more interested in the whole picture rather than just putting out singles. Of course, ironically I did the song "Once Upon a Time" as the A-side of a single and put on the B-side a little song that we thought would be a local hit for an upcoming date in that city: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." That made me an international star, and I have been commissioned to perform all over the world as a result of that song.

B&N.com: You became a sensation with young people in the '50s. What was it like for you when you first topped the pop charts with "Because of You?"

TB: We recorded that song at a time when the record label wasn't so sure if they were going to keep me on; although I had some regional hits, nothing had really clicked nationally. Percy Faith and I were in the studio, and we were looking for one more song to lay down and he said, "Let's try this one," so I recorded "Because of You." Oddly enough, it did not click on radio right away but became very popular on jukeboxes, and people started calling in to radio stations to request it, so it was very much a grassroots hit at the start. Well, it topped the charts in the summer, so everywhere I went people were playing it in their cars and in the record stores, and the best part was my family was so proud of me that I had finally made it.

B&N.com: How did you choose the songs you recorded as singles? Doing Hank Williams's "Cold Cold Heart" was very unusual at the time, wasn't it?

TB: I worked with many different producers -- Mitch Miller, Percy Faith -- and they would bring songs to me. Some were good, but a lot were novelty songs that I knew would never last to create a catalogue. It got to the point that I had a deal if I recorded a song that I felt wasn't a classic, they would have to let me choose any song that I would want to do! Mitch Miller actually brought me "Cold, Cold, Heart," and I was apprehensive about it since you didn't have the kind of crossover situation that you have today. Mitch told me to just forget about the arrangements and listen to the words, and he convinced me to record it.

B&N.com: Where did you grow up, and what made you want to be a singer?

TB: I grew up in Astoria, New York -- right over the river from Manhattan -- and when I am home in New York, I go back there every day to play tennis. I grew up in the Depression, so money was very tight, but my family was very generous and loving. Since we couldn't afford to pay for entertainment, every Sunday my family would gather at my house in a circle and my brother, sister, and I would entertain everyone, so I guessI got the performance bug pretty early. I really have two main passions in my life and always have -- to sing and paint. At one point I thought I would give up singing and just pursue art, but a music teacher of mine convinced my to keep at it and not give up on singing, although I still paint every day, too.

B&N.com: When and how did the rise of rock 'n' roll affect your career?

TB: Rock 'n' roll changed things for everyone, and I think the biggest effect was it was the first time marketers and promoters were sending out the message that this was music for just one group, not for everyone. I had been raised to sing for everyone -- the whole family -- as that was better business to appeal to everyone between 8 and 80, not just one demographic. I was fortunate in that I always loved live performance and toured with really first-class jazz musicians my whole career, so I was able to continue touring all over the world, even though the pop standards were not being played on the radio. I have never needed a stadium for my performances -- the songs that I sing need an intimacy and setting that a stadium just can't provide, so I am very happy at Carnegie Hall in New York or the many wonderful theaters around the country.

B&N.com: Did you feel pressure from record companies and producers to change your music for the rock generation?

TB: Yes, I did. But Count Basie had given me great advice when I discussed with him this issue of changing my repertoire. He simply said, "Why change an apple?" and I have lived by that to this day. After 50 years of performing the songs of the Great American Songbook I can only say that this music has served me very well, and I am so gratified to have a catalogue that has held up through the years.

B&N.com: Did your MTV Unplugged CD kick off a rebirth in your popularity with young music fans, or have they been there for you all along?

TB: My son Dan began to manage my career and was responsible for my re-signing with Columbia in the mid-'80s and working out a deal where I could pick my own material. He is very smart and knew that if my music was made available to a younger audience that they would appreciate it, so he began booking me on Letterman and doing things with The Simpsons and Spin magazine and MTV. This started to build a new audience through the '80s and early '90s, but the MTV Unplugged really opened the floodgates. One of the most memorable things anyone has ever told me was a man who came backstage with his teenage son after one of my shows and said that their mutual appreciation of my music was the first thing that they could agree upon in years -- that was very gratifying to hear. I think we are at a much healthier place with music, in that the public is happy to experience and accept many different styles and genres of music, moving away from the idea that "this is your music and that is your parents'." Those kids have now grown up and had kids of their own, and they have discovered the music of Sinatra, Ellington, Gershwin, and now can appreciate it and pass that appreciation along to their kids.

B&N.com: You have recorded with a number of big bands and often use jazz players in your own bands, but you're not exactly a "jazz singer." What makes the jazz connection for you?

TB: Jazz music is my first love. I grew up in a great era, the '30s and '40s, where you could see the most incredible jazz musicians perform in New York City every night, and the energy and spontaneity of that music has been a lifelong inspiration. You're right, I don't consider myself a jazz singer, but I always perform with jazz musicians, as they keep the music fresh. Every night they make subtle changes and nuances in their performances that inspire me as a vocalist. I had a wonderful teacher in the '50s, Mimi Spier, and she advised me, "Don't imitate other singers, go listen to jazz musicians and study their phrasing." That was great advice, and I loved the piano player Art Tatum because his style was very varied and dramatic, so I paid close attention to his work when developing my own style.

B&N.com: Is there a new Tony Bennett recording in the works?

TB: I am doing a duet album with k. d. lang that won't be out until later this fall and am very pleased to have recorded a full album with her, as she is a vocalist on par with Garland and Piaf. We toured last summer, and it went so well we discussed recording together, so we have done an album of the love songs of Louis Armstrong.