Tony Bennett - Anthology 2022 '2022

Tracks list

Tracklist:

01. Life Is a Song (Remastered 2016)
02. I'm A Fool To Want You (Remastered 2020)
03. Out of This World (Remastered 2020)
04. Funny Thing (Remastered 2020)
05. Have A Good Time (Remastered 2020)
06. Lazy Afternoon (Remastered 2015)
07. Dancing in the Dark (Remastered 2015)
08. Stranger in Paradise (Remastered 2015)
09. My Baby Just Cares for Me (Remastered 2015)
10. These Foolish Things (Remastered 2015)
11. A Sleepin' Bee (Remastered 2015)
12. I Left My Heart in San Francisco (Remastered 2019)
13. Fun to Be Fooled (Remastered 2016)
14. Ça, C'est L'amour (Remastered 2016)
15. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (Remastered 2016)
16. Anything Goes (Remastered 2016)
17. Wonderful One (Remastered 2020)
18. Speak Low (Remastered 2020)
19. After You've Gone (Remastered 2020)
20. Crazy Rhythm (Remastered 2015)
21. Old Devil Moon (Remastered 2015)
22. Lost in the Stars (Remastered 2015)
23. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (Remastered 2019)
24. Autumn Leaves (Remastered 2020)
25. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans (Remastered 2016)
26. Solitaire (Remastered 2020)
27. Somewhere Along the Way (Remastered 2015)
28. I'm Thru with Love (Remastered 2015)
29. The Skyscraper Blues (Remastered 2016)
30. House of Flowers (Remastered 2016)
31. Because of You (Remastered 2016)
32. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Remastered 2020)
33. My Foolish Heart (Remastered 2016)
34. Gone With the Wind (Remastered 2020)
35. Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goodbye) (Remastered 2015)


 Read MoreThe son of a grocer, Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick
Benedetto on August 3, 1926. Raised in Astoria, Queens by Italian emigrates --
his father John was a recent arrival from Reggio Calabria, his mother Anna was
born to natives of the Calabria region who headed to the States in 1899 --
Bennett suffered from poverty and ill fortune as a child, yet he also cultivated
an interest in art and music. By the time his father died when Tony was ten, he
was already singing professionally, notably performing alongside Mayor Fiorello
La Guardia at the opening of the Triborough Bridge in 1936. As a teenager,
Bennett had several gigs as a singing waiter and he enrolled in New York's
School of Industrial Art, studying music and painting. When times got tight in
his family, he dropped out of school to support his mother and siblings, making
money once again as a singing waiter.

Bennett was drafted into the Army in 1944, during the final year of World War
II. Stationed in Europe, he saw combat in France and Germany; he was also part
of the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp outside of Landsberg. Staying in
Germany as part of the occupying force, he sang in a Special Services band
before his discharge in 1966. Upon returning home, he attended the American
Theatre Wing under the G.I. Bill, all the while working as a singing waiter.

During 1949, Bennett's career began to take off. While working under the stage
name Joe Bari, he recorded a version of George & Ira Gershwin's "Fascinating
Rhythm" for Leslie, a single that didn't go anywhere but did coincide with the
singer catching the attention of Pearl Bailey. She hired him to open for her at
a Greenwich Village concert, which was attended by comedian Bob Hope. Taken by
the singer then known as Joe Bari, Hope invited the vocalist on tour on the
provision he change his name. Deeming Anthony Bendedetto too long for a marquee,
Hope shortened the singer's name to Tony Bennett.

Things began to happen quickly for Bennett after this point. In 1950, he
recorded a demo of "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," on the basis of which Mitch
Miller signed him to Columbia Records. The label was steeling itself for the
departure of Frank Sinatra, who feuded often with Miller. Bennett eased into his
vacancy by singing chart-friendly pop tunes, starting with "Because of You,"
which was buttressed by an arrangement by Percy Faith. It reached number one in
September 1951, followed quickly by a cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold
Heart." This single also reached number one, its success often cited as
elevating Hank Williams' reputation outside of the South and country music
circles. "Cold Cold Heart" also proved Bennett wasn't a one-hit wonder, either.
During 1952, he racked up three hit singles, the biggest of which was "Here in
My Heart," which peaked at 15, and he reached the top of the charts again in
1953 with "Rags to Riches," which was followed quickly by the number two single
"Stranger in Paradise," a song taken from the Broadway musical Kismet. Bennett
charted regularly over the next two years, with a handful of songs breaking into
the Top 10 -- "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" and "Cinnamon Sinner," both
from 1954 -- before the pop charts were changed irrevocably in 1956 by the rise
of rock & roll.

The Beat of My HeartWhile Bennett didn't disappear from the single charts in the
second half of the '50s -- "Can You Find It in Your Heart?" went to 16 in 1956,
the same year that "From the Candy Store on the Corner to the Chapel on the
Hill" peaked at 11; he cracked the Top Ten in 1957 with "In the Middle of the
Island" -- but shifted his attention to adult-oriented formats, such as albums
and nightclubs, which allowed him to indulge in his love of jazz. On 1957's The
Beat of My Heart, he collaborated with arranger Ralph Sharon -- a pianist who
would become Bennett's accompanist and musical director -- on an album that
featured saxophonist Nat Adderley and emphasized percussionists Chico Hamilton,
Art Blakey, Sabu, and Jo Jones. In 1959, he released In Person!, a live album
where he was backed by the Count Basie Orchestra; Bennett returned the favor by
recording Strike Up the Band with Basie's Orchestra. As the '50s gave way to the
'60s, Bennett increasingly specialized in swinging and soft versions of the
Great American Songbook, mining territory pioneered by Frank Sinatra.

Sharon brought "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," a song written by recent New
York city transplants George Cory and Douglass Cross, to Bennett in late 1961.
Tennessee Ernie Ford previously passed on the song but Bennett recorded it in
early 1962, with Columbia placing it on the B-side of "Once Upon a Time." DJs
preferred "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to its flip and the ballad started
its steady climb up the charts, peaking at number 19 but staying on the charts
for the lion's share of 1962. An album named after the hit was rushed onto the
market, reaching number five on Billboard's Top 200, and the song garnered
Grammy awards for Record of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male. The
success of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" wasn't limited to 1962: it turned
into an enduring standard, earning an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and
selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of
Congress.

"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" may have turned Bennett into a superstar but
he didn't remain at the top of the charts for much longer. Immediately after its
success, he had Top 20 hits in 1963 with "I Wanna Be Around" and "The Good
Life," but the following year saw the British Invasion sweeping America,
dramatically decreasing the space for adult-oriented pop in the Top 40. Bennett
continued to record easy listening material through the '60s, sometimes scraping
the bottom of the Top 40, usually placing high on Billboard's Easy Listening
charts between 1964 and 1966. "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" reached
three on Easy Listening in 1964, with "If I Ruled the World" and "The Shadow of
the Smile" making it to eight on the same chart the following year, and "A Time
for Love" reached three in 1966.

Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!In 1967, Bennett dipped his toe into
contemporary pop with a cover of Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life." This
shift was instigated by the new president of Columbia, Clive Davis, who was
intent on modernizing his easy listening singers. Bennett reluctantly agreed to
pursue this path, releasing covers of Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park" and George
Harrison's "Something" in 1969 and 1970. Both singles were modest easy listening
hits and were featured on the 1970 LP Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!, an
album Bennett would later claim made him physically ill to record. Neither the
album nor its swift sequel Tony Bennett's Something (which once again featured
the Beatles song on record) revitalized the singer's commercial fortunes, so
Columbia rode out his contract over the next year, parting ways with Bennett
after 1972's With Love.

The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans AlbumBennett's departure from Columbia kick-started
a turbulent decade for the singer, one where he bounced between labels as he
struggled with a variety of personal problems. Verve signed him in 1972,
releasing The Good Things in Life that fall, but the association was
short-lived: one more album, Listen Easy, followed in 1973 before they parted
ways. During his brief stint with the label, Bennett also hosted a British
television show called Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town. He next moved to
Los Angeles, where he founded his own label, Improv, with the assistance of Bill
Hassett in 1975. Improv was hobbled with distribution problems that would lead
to its early dissolution in 1977, but the five albums Bennett recorded for the
imprint were instrumental in raising his reputation as a jazz singer,
particularly the pair of albums he cut with pianist Bill Evans: 1975's The Tony
Bennett/Bill Evans Album -- which reached 31 on Billboard's Jazz albums chart --
and its 1976 sequel Together Again. Left without a label, Bennett wound up
performing regularly in Las Vegas, suffering through drug addiction, financial
problems, and the dissolution of his second marriage.

The Art of ExcellenceBennett turned his career around by hiring his son Danny as
his manager. Danny Bennett moved his father back to New York City and off the
Vegas circuit, lining up a series of shows in intimate venues instead. The
singer also reunited with pianist Ralph Sharon, who'd served as his musical
director in the early '60s. Bennett worked steadily as a live performer but made
his comeback as a recording artist in 1986 when he released The Art of
Excellence, his first album for Columbia in 14 years. The Art of Excellence
began a renaissance period for Tony Bennett, one that proved to last for
decades. While his son cannily booked his father on television shows appealing
to younger demographics, Bennett maintained his allegiance to pre-war vocal pop
and jazz, becoming the torch bearer for the Great American Songbook.

Astoria: Portrait of the ArtistAstoria: Portrait of the Artist, a 1990 album
where Bennett gazed back at his past, consolidated the artistic gains of The Art
of Excellence, and the 1991 box set Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett
made a case for his enduring legacy but it was his 1992 Sinatra tribute
Perfectly Frank that was the catalyst for his remarkable crossover success in
the '90s. Perfectly Frank topped the Billboard Jazz chart -- it made it to 102
on the Top 200, his best placement since 1971 -- on its way to winning the
Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, a category Bennett would
dominate over the next decade; it also became his first album to be certified
Gold since 1967's Tony's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3. Steppin' Out, its 1993 sequel,
saluted Fred Astaire, and along with replicating its predecessor's success -- it
took home the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Grammy, topped the Jazz
albums chart, and went Gold -- it also received some play on MTV for its title
track. This opened the door for Bennett's appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1994, a
performance that was released as an album in April 1994. Featuring guest
appearances by k.d. lang and Elvis Costello, MTV Unplugged turned into smash
hit, reaching 48 on Billboard's Top 200 (it also topped their Jazz chart),
achieving Platinum certification and winning the Grammy not just for Best
Traditional Pop Vocal, but Album of the Year.

Here's to the LadiesAfter MTV Unplugged, Bennett rode a hot streak that lasted
well into the 21st century. He remained a popular concert attraction and
recorded regularly, often alternating thematic tribute records with duet albums.
Here's to the Ladies, the 1995 set which was his first studio album since
Steppin' Out, found him singing songs usually associated with female vocalists,
while 1997's On Holiday was a salute to Billie Holiday; both took home Grammys
for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, as did 1999's Bennett Sings
Ellington: Hot & Cool. Peaking at 50 on the Top 200 and going Gold, Playin' with
My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues, a 2001 collection, was his biggest hit
since MTV Unplugged, but it was eclipsed by 2002's duet album with k.d. lang, A
Wonderful World, which reached 41 and went Gold; both records won the Grammy for
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, as did 2004's The Art of Romance.

Duets: An American ClassicBennett celebrated his 80th birthday in 2006 with the
release of Duets: An American Classic. Featuring guest appearances by a host of
pop stars including Elton John, Paul McCartney, and George Michael, the album
rivaled MTV Unplugged in popularity, peaking at three on the Billboard Top 200
and earning a Platinum certification. Its 2011 sequel, Duets II, bested its
predecessor by entering the charts at number one; both albums took home the
Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Viva Duets, a collection of duets
with Latino singers, peaked at five in 2012.

Cheek to CheekTony Bennett's next big hit was Cheek to Cheek, a collection of
jazz standards recorded with Lady Gaga. Released in September 2014, Cheek to
Cheek debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and wound up winning the
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammy. In 2015, Bennett teamed up with pianist
Bill Charlap for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, a jazz-oriented
effort that was another Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammy winner. Bennett
marked his 90th birthday in 2016 with an all-star concert held at Radio City
Music Hall. Featuring k.d. lang, Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, and Andrea
Bocelli, the concert was released as the live album Tony Bennett Celebrates 90.
In September of 2018, Bennett released Love Is Here to Stay, a duet album with
Diana Krall that doubled as a tribute to George Gershwin. ~ Stephen Thomas
Erlewine

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