Tony Bennett

Musician 

One of the greatest interpretive singers of the 20th century, Tony Bennetts amazingly long and successful career is one of the wonders of American musical history. To listening audiences he brings the story of his life as an artist and entertainer, from 1940s crooner and 1950s jazz singer to surprise darling of the MTV generation.

Along the way Tony regales audiences with anecdotes from his early life in Astoria, New York, where he started out as a singing waiter; his experiences in World War II (where he helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp); his wild pop and jazz successes in the 1940s and 1950s; and his incredible comeback from artistic disappointment in the 1960s and 1970s, culminating with several Grammys in the past two decades. As The New York Times wrote of Tonys appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap, he has demolished it. He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises.

In addition to countless honors for his singing, including a 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Tony is a highly regarded painter whose works are on permanent display at distinguished galleries nationwide. He is also a dedicated philanthropist and humanitarian who has raised millions of dollars for the National Cancer Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, which established a research fund in his name performed at fundraisers for the Walden Woods Foundation and the Save the Rainforest Foundation; and been honored by the Martin Luther King Center for his efforts to fight discrimination. In September 2001 he spearheaded the establishment of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a New York City public high school offering one of the most extensive arts programs in the country.

A genuine American legend, Tony is an engaging stage presence whether speaking about his creative life, his philanthropic concerns, or the history of American song.