{"id":1297,"date":"2023-07-22T00:54:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T00:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2023\/2023\/07\/22\/new-york-musical-icon-tony-bennett-dead-at-96\/"},"modified":"2023-07-22T00:54:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T00:54:18","slug":"new-york-musical-icon-tony-bennett-dead-at-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2023\/2023\/07\/22\/new-york-musical-icon-tony-bennett-dead-at-96\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Musical Icon Tony Bennett Dead at 96"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New York’s own Tony Bennett, one of the most awarded singers of his generation, has passed away at age 96. His death marks the end of a recent battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and a life filled with chart-topping hits and almost every musical accolade possible, including 20 Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award and two Primetime Emmys. His signature jazzy singing style and notable duets with contemporary superstars allowed Bennett to forge a career that lasted nearly 70 years in total. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by Kevin Mazur\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anthony Dominick Benedetto\u00a0was born in Long Island City in Queens on August 3, 1926, the son of Italian immigrants. He and his older siblings grew up in poverty in New York, in the face of The Great Depression. Although his father passed away when Tony was only 10 years old, he helped him develop a love for arts and music like Al Jolson and Louis Armstrong. With the help of an uncle who worked in vaudeville. Tony Bennett was already performing live at 13 years old, singing at various Italian restaurants in Queens. He attended New York’s School of Industrial Art but dropped out at age 16 to help support his family. He never gave up on his dream of being a singer though, continuing to amass gigs as a singing waiter at restaurants as well as a a successful run at a Paramus, NJ night club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1944, Bennett was drafted into the US Army during the latter stages of World War II and even spent time on the front lines at one point in Germany. Upon discharge, he studied at the American Theatre Wing on the GI Bill. Here, he was taught the bel canto singing discipline which would allow to sing him for as long as he did. It was at this time that he also first started to develop his atypical approach of imitating, as he sang, the style and phrasing of other musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearl Bailey gave Tony his big break in 1949, asking him to open for her at a show in Greenwich Village. This led to a deal with Columbia Records where Bennett’s career first started out as a commercial pop singer. His first big hit was “Because Of You,” a ballad with a lush Percy Faith-led Orchestra. It reached #1 on the charts in 1951 and stayed there for ten weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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