Classic

Just saw Tony Bennett on The Hour, promoting his new Christmas CD; his last Christmas Album was 40 years ago. He was asked why so long ago, and said: I liked it so much I never saw a need for another one.

Classic: Tony Bennett is 82 years old, performing with the prestigious Count Basie Orchestra which started around 1936 (before my Dad was born).

A little about Tony:

The son of a grocer and Italian-born immigrant, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born on August 3, 1926, in the Astoria section of Queens, New York. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts in Manhattan, where he nurtured his dual passions, singing and painting.

Tony’s big break came in 1949 when comedian Bob Hope noticed him working with Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village. As he recalls, “Bob Hope came down to check out my act. He liked my singing so much that after the show he came back to see me in my dressing room and said, ‘Come on kid, you’re going to come to the Paramount and sing with me.’ But first he told me he didn’t care for my stage name (Joe Bari) and asked me what my real name was. I told him, ‘My name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto,’ and he said, ‘We’ll call you Tony Bennett.’ And that’s how it happened. A new Americanized name, the start of a wonderful career and a glorious adventure that has continued for sixty years.”

Not sure why I posted this, just really cool.