The legendary Mr. Tony Bennett, was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, and raised in New York City. He started singing at a very young age and always had aspirations of becoming a professional singer. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944 and fought during the final stages of World War II. After the war he went to school at the American Theatre Wing and was taught the style of singing that has kept his voice in good shape for his long career. In 1950, he recorded a demo of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and was subsequently signed to Columbia Records by record producer Mitch Miller.
Since then, Tony Bennett has recorded an astonishing 70 albums, most of which he did with Columbia Records. His first album, Because of You, was released in the early 1950’s and stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks.
Album cover art for the upcoming album Tony Bennett: Duets II, due out on September 20th, 2011.
Tony Bennett enjoyed a comeback during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and has recently had success expanding his audience to the younger “MTV” Generation of fans. Tony Bennett continues to maintain his timeless musical style and brings a classic charm to all of his performances. His album, Tony Bennett: Duets II, will be released on September 20, 2011. Duets II is the follow-up album to his first Duets album and pairs Bennett with younger talent. Some of the featured artists include: Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, John Mayer, and Amy Winehouse. Below is the tracklist for the star-studded Duets II album due out tomorrow:
TRACKLIST
The Lady is a Tramp
One for My Baby
Body and Soul
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
Blue Velvet
How Do You Keep the Music Playing
The Girl I love
Sunny Side of the Street
Who Can I Turn To
Speak Low
This is All I ask
Watch What Happens
Stranger in Paradise
The Way You Look Tonight
Yesterday I Heard the Rain
It Had To Be You
When Do the Bells Ring for Me
Interested in learning more about Tony Bennett’s incredible life story? You should check out the following MSNBC.com article and video clip of Tony talking to Today’s Matt Lauer:
TONY BENNETT: THE MUSICIAN AND THE ARTIST
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