With the international celebration of his 80th birthday in 2006, amidst the tributes, honors and accolades, the world's most down-to-earth living legend celebrated this milestone the same way he essentially lives his life: enjoying each moment to the fullest, weathering the storms with good cheer and optimism, and connecting to people everywhere through the magic of his music and the power of his art.

"Mr. Bennett," wrote Stephen Holden in The New York Times (August 2, 2006), "has steadfastly remained the embodiment of heart in popular music. He pours it into every note he sings and every phrase he swings with a sophistication that deepens his unguarded emotional directness. In the polluted sea of irony, bad faith and grotesque attitudinizing that pop music has become, he is a rock of integrity."

Tony Bennett turned 80 on August 3, 2006, an event which has generated a wide range of tributes and celebrations.  Among them was the release of a new CD, Duets - An American Classic, which became his highest charting and best selling album to date and won three Grammy Awards.  Tony recorded some of the best-loved songs in his repertoire as duets performed live in the studio with some of the top names in contemporary music: Bono, Michael Bublé, Elvis Costello, Celine Dion, Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juanes, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, George Michael, Sting, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Instrumental musical guests Tony's on Duets - An American Classic include trumpeter Chris Botti and violinist Pinchas Zukerman.  Duets – An American Classic  garnered the singer another Grammy Award in the category of “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album;” and Bennett shared a Grammy with Stevie Wonder for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals,’ for their duet of “For Once In My Life.”  The CD earned is third Grammy that year for “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals,” for Jorge Calandrelli.

 Tony was the subject of a major television special, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," which aired on NBC television in November 2006.  Conceived and directed by Rob Marshall, executive produced by Danny Bennett, John DeLuca and Rob Marshall, produced by Jodi Hurwitz, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" feature musical guests Elton John, Michael Bublé, John Legend, k.d. lang, Diana Krall, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti, and Juanes. Segment hosts for the program included Robert DeNiro, Bruce Willis, Billy Crystal, John Travolta and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  The DVD version of the special earned platinum sales status and Rob Marshall won a Directors Guild Award for his direction of the program.  The program garnered Tony his second Emmy Award and the special itself won 7 Emmy Awards making it the most honored television program of 2007.

In the fall of 2007, a documentary of Tony’s life and career, produced by Clint Eastwood, “Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends” aired on PBS American Masters. An art book of Tony’s paintings, the second in his career, entitled Tony Bennett In the Studio/A Life of Art and Music, was published.  His most recent CD releases include Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1 and a deluxe version of his beloved holiday recording, Snowfall.

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Tony Bennett is an artist who moves the hearts and touches the souls of audiences. He's the singer's singer and has received high praise from his colleagues through the years, including Frank Sinatra who stated unequivocally, "Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business." He is an international treasure who was honored by the United Nations with their "Citizen of the World" award, which aptly describes the scope of his accomplishments.

The son of a grocer and Italian-born immigrant, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born on August 3, 1926, in the Astoria section of Queens. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts in Manhattan, where he continued nurturing his two passions -- singing and painting. His boyhood idols included Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, both big influences on Bennett's easy, natural singing style. Tony sang while waiting tables as a teenager then performed with military bands during his Army enlistment in World War II. He later had vocal studies at the American Theatre Wing School. The first time Bennett sang in a nightclub was 1946 when he sat in with trombonist Tyree Glenn at the Shangri-La in Astoria.

Bennett's big break came in 1949 when comedian Bob Hope noticed him working with Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village in New York City. As Bennett recalls, "Bob Hope came down to check out my act. He liked my singing so much that after the show he came back to see me in my dressing room and said, 'Come on kid, you're going to come to the Paramount and sing with me.' But first he told me he didn't care for my stage name (Joe Bari) and asked me what my real name was. I told him, 'My name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto,' and he said, 'We'll call you Tony Bennett.' And that's how it happened. A new Americanized name, the start of a wonderful career and a glorious adventure that has continued for fifty years."

With over 50 million records sold world-wide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett has received fifteen Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The MTV generation first took Tony Bennett to heart during his appearance with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the 1993 MTV Video Awards ceremony. He appeared on "MTV Unplugged" and the resulting recording of the same name garnered the singer Grammy's top award, "Album of the Year." "Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap," pointed out The New York Times, "he has demolished it. He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises." Bennett credits his son and manager, Danny, for his success in capturing a whole new generation of listeners.

His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950's, including such chart-toppers as "Because of You," "Rags To Riches" and a remake of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including "I Wanna Be Around," "The Good Life," "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" and his signature song, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," which garnered him two Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond. He introduced a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since become standards for pop music. He has toured the world to sold out audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs. Bennett re-signed with Columbia Records in 1986 and released the critically acclaimed The Art Of Excellence. Since his 1991 show-stopping performance at the Grammy Awards of "When Do The Bells Ring For Me," from his Astoria album, he has received a string of Grammy Awards for releases including Steppin' Out, Perfectly Frank, and MTV Unplugged.
Tony Bennett became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2005, was named an NEA Jazz Master in January of 2006, and has just been named this year's recipient of Billboard Magazine's prestigious Century Award, in honor of his outstanding contributions to music.  He was won two Emmy Awards and a Cable Ace Award.

Tony Bennett is a dedicated painter whose interest in art began as a child. He continues to paint every day, even while touring internationally. He has exhibited his work in galleries around the world and he was chosen to be the official artist of the 2001 Kentucky Derby and created two original paintings celebrating this historic event. The United Nations has commissioned him for two paintings, including one for their 50th anniversary. His original painting "Homage to Hockney" is on permanent display at the Butler Institute of American Art and the landmark National Arts Club in New York is home to his painting, "Boy on Sailboat, Sydney Bay." Most recently his oil painting, entitled, “Central Park,” was accepted to the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s permanent collection in Washington, DC.

Throughout his career, Tony Bennett has always put his heart and time into humanitarian concerns. He has raised millions of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, which established a research fund in his name. His original paintings each year grace the cover of the American Cancer Society's annual holiday greeting card, proceeds from which are earmarked for cancer research. He is active in environmental concerns and has performed at fundraisers for both the Walden Woods Foundation and the Save the Rainforest Foundation. The Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta bestowed upon him their "Salute to Greatness Award" for his efforts to fight discrimination. He conceived and spearheaded the effort to honor his great friend with the establishment of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, which opened its doors as a New York City public high school offering an extensive arts curriculum in September of 2001.  With his wife Susan, they established EXPLORING THE ARTS to support and fund arts education in the public schools.  The United Nations presented him with their 2007 Humanitarian Award earlier this year.

In the 1950's, thousands of screaming bobby-soxers surrounded the Paramount Theatre in New York, held back only by police barricades, to see their singing idol Tony Bennett. Today the children and grandchildren of those fans are enjoying the same experience. Perhaps what sums up Tony's legacy and longevity best was the observation The New York Times made in a review of "MTV Unplugged": "What accounts for the Bennett magic? Artistry certainly. The repertory is indeed classic…. But perhaps more important is his ability to convey a sense of joy, of utter satisfaction, in what he is doing."

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As the world's most boyish octogenarian, a vital musical artist at the peak of his powers, Tony Bennett is living proof that fairy tales can indeed come true when you're young at heart.