The "A Tribute To Musician Tony Bennett" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Saturday, July 22, 2023 and the headline on page A11 of my Lancaster Newspaper read "Masterful musician dies at 96."  Wow!!  If you haven't heard or read about  it by now, that masterful musician was no one other than Tony Bennett.  Tony was the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" graced a decades long career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday, July 21.  He was the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century who said that his lifelong ambition was to create "a hit catalog rather than hit records."  He released more than 70 albums, bringing him 10 competitive Grammies, all but two after he reached his 60s, and enjoyed deep and lasting affection from fans and fellow artists.  Tony was said to be...A tenor who sings like a baritone!   Lancaster County fans of the late singer had to travel to see him perform, but occasionally he performed nearby.  In 1955, at the beginning of his career, he performed at the Ephrata Legion Park.  An advertisement in the morning Intelligencer Journal listed the August 14 concert as "rain or shine".  At that show, Tony shared the stage with Claude Thornhill and his orchestra.  Ever hear of Mr. Thornhill?  It was decades before he returned to the area.  He did perform in the 1980s and 1990s at the Valley Forge Music Fair which was a venue in Devon, Chester County.  In 1987, just as he was making a comeback, he played two shows at the Hersheypark Amphitheater as part of the park's Fourth of July celebrations.  In September of 2008, in his 80s and still going strong, Bennett performed at the Whitaker Center in nearby Harrisburg.  He did return to Lancaster County in 2011, performing at the American Music Theater on June 25.  Prior to that show, the Lancaster newspaper interviewed Bennett about his lengthy career and his dual creative passions of singing and painting.  "There are a lot of similar principles between singing and painting," he said.  "You need to know what to leave in and what to leave out, balance and tone.  But I had gotten some very good advice from Duke Ellington, who told me it was better to do two creative things than just one, so I really began to work on my painting very seriously."  Tony returned a few more times to the America Music Theatre in subsequent years, mostly in 2018.  He did release one final album in 2021 titled "Love for Sale," which featured duets with Lady Gaga on the title track, "Night and Day," and other Porter songs.  Tony would go on to win Grammys for his tributes to vocalists Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington.  He also won Grammys for his collaborations with other singers: "Playin' with My Friends" and "Bennett Sings the Blues.  What a life he lived!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.