![]() "I say, 'Do you get tired of making love?'" "People ask me, 'Don't you get tired of singing that song about San Francisco?'" Bennett said in a Reuters interview. 19 on the Billboard chart but became his signature song. In the next phase of his career, Bennett recorded "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1962 - a tune by two little-known songwriters that his musical director, pianist Ralph Sharon, had stashed away. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said on Twitter. He will live as long as we remember him," U.S. "He was dedicated to civil and human rights and to the arts. Singer and activist Harry Belafonte persuaded Bennett, a champion of human rights, to take part in the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 led by Martin Luther King Jr. He pulled his material from jazz and the works of writers like Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, George and Ira Gershwin and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The comedian was so impressed that he had the singer change his name to Tony Bennett and used him as an opening act.īennett signed with Columbia Records and the result was a string of pop hits such as "Because of You," a cover of the Hank Williams country standard "Cold, Cold Heart," "Blue Velvet" and "Rags to Riches." Legions of screaming teenage girls packed his shows.Īs the rock era began in the mid-1950s, Bennett moved away from pop songs toward jazz, working with some of the top names in that genre and recording "Basie Swings, Bennett Sings" with the Count Basie Orchestra. He would be a serious painter throughout his life and sold his works under his given name.Īfter serving as an infantryman in Europe during World War Two, Bennett was singing under the name Joe Bari when Hope caught his act in New York's Greenwich Village. As a boy, his love of music was matched only by his interest in painting. He was only 10 when his father died, and his mother struggled as a dressmaker to support him. He always thought of himself as a jazz singer.Īnthony Dominick Benedetto was born Aug. ![]() Through it all, Bennett maintained a cool, smiling demeanor, and tried to stay faithful to the material he loved best. He rebounded from that by aiming at a more mature audience. ![]() Before that, Bennett had been one of the most popular singers of the 1950s - thanks to his discovery by comedian Bob Hope - until the rise of rock 'n' roll undermined him. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |