Real name: Anthony Dominick Benedetto.
Born: Aug 3, 1926 in Queens, NY.
Genres: Vocal.
Styles: Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Ballads, Show Tunes.
Instruments: Vocals

Any discussion of Tony Bennett within the context of a book on jazz ought to start with the disclaimer that he is not, never was, and doesn't claim to be, a "jazz singer" per se. However, there isn't any question that Bennett has always felt a kinship with jazz musicians and has collaborated with them several times in his long career, often with delightful results. Though not an improviser, Bennett could always follow the contours of a jazz rhythm section with confidently jazzy inflections; indeed, he sounds absolutely ebullient whenever he records with jazzers. Bennett's pianist and musical director since the 1950s, Ralph Sharon, is a solid, dependable jazzman in his own right, and has occasionally steered his boss away from the all-American easy-listening ballad into a more jazz-oriented setting. Bennett counts among his influences Art Tatum, from whom he drew ideas on phrasing and breathing, Mildred Bailey for her relaxed delivery, and of course, the inevitable Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, who once proclaimed Bennett to be the best singer in the business. Indeed, as Sinatra's voice aged, Bennett found himself in the position of being the leading purveyor of American popular songs by 1990.



Bennett got through the first decade and a half of the rock & roll invasion mostly unscathed, thanks in part to an occasional smash hit like "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" that would thrust his name back into the public consciousness. But the pressures of resisting the rock trend drove Bennett away from Columbia in 1972, and after a brief period with MGM, he made several albums for his own Improv label, DRG and Fantasy, collaborating with Ruby Braff and Marian and Jimmy McPartland and making two now-revered duet albums with Bill Evans. From 1979 to 1986, however, he was unable to secure a recording contract on his terms, and interviews from the period found him quite bitter about the dominance of rock in the music business.
However, once his son Danny took over his management and started to sell him to a younger audience, Bennett's career underwent a remarkable resurrection. Upon re-signing with Columbia in 1986, Bennett started a new carefully produced and planned series of albums, beginning with the ostentatiously titled The Art of Excellence. In 1987, a fascinating compilation from the '50s and '60s entitled Jazz helped remind jazz fans of his old ties, and the new album Bennett/Berlin was graced by the presence of George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon. Next, he became an unlikely favorite of Generation X, more perhaps for his stubborn refusal to conform to fashion than for his music, and an appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1993 was turned into a hit album. Bennett still appears frequently at jazz festivals in tandem with big bands or the Ralph Sharon Trio, and his current reputation as an artiste is buttressed by the fact that he is also a skilled painter, signing his works with his original name, Anthony Benedetto. Playground, a collection of songs aimed at younger listeners, followed in 1998.

Album Title

Love Story

Sings a String of Harold Arlen

Life Is a Song [Brentwood]

Good Life [Collectables]

Art of Romance

Art of Romance [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]

Complete Improv Recordings

Anything Goes

Anything Goes/Chicago

Chicago [Laserlight]

Tony Bennett [Platinum Disc 3 CD]

Together Again [Concord]

Chicago [Blu Mountain]

Artist's Choice: Tony Bennett

Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett

Wonderful World: Live in San Francisco

Wonderful World

Essential Tony Bennett [Columbia/Legacy]

Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues

Singin' and Swingin'

Collection [Disc 1]

Collection [Disc 2]

Ultimate Tony Bennett [2000]

Essential Tony Bennett [Horatio Nelson]

Tony Bennett with Count Basie

High Profile

Golden Legends

More Songs from the Heart

Gold Collection

Tony Bennett [Platinum Disc]

Crooners, Vol. 8

Sings Rodgers & Hart Songs

Together Again [Rhino]

Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool

Forever Gold

With the Count Basie Big Band [Classic World]

Essential Tony Bennett: A Retrospective

Sings & Swings

Touch of Class

Hollywood & Broadway

Playground

Songs from the Heart

Sings the Songs of Harold Arlen

This Is Jazz, Vol. 33

As Time Goes By [Box]

Life Is a Song

At Carnegie Hall June 9, 1962: Complete Concert

I Left My Heart in San Francisco/Art of Excellence/Astoria: Portrait of the Artist

Bennett & Basie

As Time Goes By, Vol. 1

As Time Goes By, Vol. 2

As Time Goes By, Vol. 3

Sings His All-Time Hall of Fame Hits

Classic Tony Bennett, Vol. 1

Classic Tony Bennett, Vol. 1 [Madacy]

On Holiday

Art of the Singer

Tony Bennett's Something

Carnegie Hall

Classic Tony Bennett, Vol. 2

Here's to the Ladies

I Left My Heart in San Francisco/I Wanna Be Around

Unplugged

MTV Unplugged

Essence of Tony Bennett

Steppin' Out

Perfectly Frank

Tony Bennett [Touch of Class]

Astoria: Portrait of the Artist

Good Life

Good Life [Sony Special Products]

Some Pair

With the Count Basie Orchestra [Special Music]

Bennett/Berlin

16 Most Requested Songs

Art of Excellence

All-Time Favorites

Always Around

Collection [Disc 3]

My Best to You

Sings [Video]

Special Magic of Tony Bennett

Together Again [DRG]

Life Is Beautiful

Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album

Rodgers & Hart Songbook [DRG]

Very Thought of You

Get Happy with the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album

Movie Song Album

If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set

Who Can I Turn To

I Wanna Be Around...

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

To My Wonderful One

Tony Sings for Two

Chicago [Excelsior]

Chicago [Garland]

Strike up the Band

Tony Bennett in Person

Basie Swings, Bennett Sings

Beat of My Heart

Jazz

All-Time Greatest Hits

40 Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett