What My Heart Has Seen shows several portraits of famous people, as well as still-lifes, landscapes, and cityscapes that are dominated by scenes of San Francisco and New York. But Americans will always see and Remember Bennett as a very gifted singer. For his 80th birthday in 2006, Bennett released Tony Bennett Duets-An American Classic, which features Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Bono, Sting, and Elvis Costello.
The singer was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, on August 3, 1926, in Queens New York. He grew up in a poor family which endured the Depression and the death of Bennett's father when he was nine. After serving in the Army infantry during World War II, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill and studied singing and acting at the American Theatre Wing. During this time, Bennett's vocal coach, Mimi Spear, gave him advice that he still follows to this day: "Don't imitate other singers, emulate instrumentalists instead." Bennett was discovered by Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village and was later hired by Bob Hope in 1949. Hope told the young singer to use the name Tony Bennett and drop Joe Bari, which he was using at the time.
In 1950, the singer signed with Columbia Records and started working with record producer Mitch Miller. Bennett's early hits included, "Because of You," "Stranger in Paradise," "Rags To Riches," and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." The latter was released in 1962 as a B-side on a single. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" earned Bennett his first Grammy award. After 20 years of recording with Columbia, the singer decided to end his relationship with the company. Bennett wanted to record new songs while Columbia wanted him to repeat the style of his early hits. The Company management also wanted the artist to cover top ten hits. The singer started his own label, but ended up taking a ten year break before coming back to the studio to produce the 1986 album The Art of Excellence.
Bennett has appeared on the animated series "The Simpsons," on talk shows with David Letterman and Jay Leno, and MTV Unplugged. He now has a contract with Columbia that allows him to simply turn in his finished record, with no corporate input on content. The musician's later recordings include Perfectly Frank, Bennett/Berlin, Here's to the Ladies, Tony Bennett on Holiday, and the children's album The Playground. He credits learning bel canto technique with preserving his voice. The ageless singer has a half-century of professional singing under his belt and there are no signs of him slowing down.
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