Sharon added that the likes of Duke Ellington and Miles Davis appreciated the jazz sensibility that Bennett brought to pop music. 'He always says, 'I'm not a jazz singer,' but he has a great feel for a beat,' Bennett's accompanist and arranger for more than 50 years, Ralph Sharon, told NPR in 1998. In short order, he sold millions of records, and a 10-year string of hits followed.īennett made a name for himself as a crooner, but he loved jazz. His demo of ' The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' made it to producer Mitch Miller at Columbia Records, and Bennett was signed in 1950. He says a teacher told him to emulate the phrasing of instrumentalists to find his own voice. The whole valley would hear it, and they enjoyed him so much.'īennett himself studied opera, specifically the technique of bel canto singing, on the G.I. 'In Calabria,' the singer said, 'he had a reputation for singing on top of the mountain. In that interview, Bennett also noted that music was a family affair that started back in Italy, with his father, who charmed his community with opera. 'I became a singing waiter in Astoria, Long Island,' Bennett told WHYY's Fresh Air in 1998, 'and it was the only job that I said, 'If I have to do this the rest of my life, I'd be happy doing that.' ' Eventually, he quit high school, working odd jobs to help support his family. But he was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, N.Y. The world knew him as Tony Bennett Bob Hope gave him that name. James Infirmary Blues,' which was made right after World War II with a U.S. He cut his first sides when he was 20 years old, including the song 'St. It was like his tailored suits: age appropriate, yet timelessly cool. He was a showman, with an intimate nightclub sensibility. He reached the Billboard Top 10 at age 95 in 2021 thanks to his second duet album with Lady Gaga, Love For Sale, and celebrated his retirement the same year with two touching nights at Radio City Music Hall.īennett hit the scene as a suave crooner in the 1950s and quickly established himself as one of radio's most popular hit-makers.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, but his condition didn't stop him from occasionally performing live or releasing new music. He was 96.īennett died Friday morning in New York City, according to a representative for the singer.

Tony Bennett, the internationally famous singer whose voice epitomized the American Songbook, has died. Bernt Claesson | Pressens Bild/AFP via Getty Images Listen Tony Bennett poses while signing an autograph in 1988.

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