On August 3rd Tony Bennett turns 80. Sinatra called him the "Greatest Saloon Singer, ever." Coming from Frankie, a man who knew much about singing and saloons, this really means something!
NBC is putting together a documentary tribute to Bennett which should air in September, '06. He has a "Duets" album which is set to come out at about that time.
Tony Bennett always seemed to be a little "different" to me. Different than other performers. Oh, he's had his personnal problems. I ran into some people who met him, briefly, and they said that he was the biggest jerk they ever met. Well, uh, OK. Let's get back to why we like him. He was a great singer, probably the best in the world for many years. Remember what Sinatra said about him? Bennett always seems to be having a good time. Maybe it's just for the cameras, but he seems to be enjoying himself a little more than other entertainers. Or maybe it's because he knows that there aren't many (any?) musical acts that charted well in 1950 that are still in the limelight! Probably what makes him a little different from today's celebs is that he was never famous for being famous. He was famous for what he did best, singing!
