Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett is an American jazz vocalist and performer. He is also a talented painter and occasional actor. He was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Queens, New York. He began singing at an early age and also fought as an infantryman during the final stages of World War II. In 1962, he recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."http://www.biography.com/articles/Tony-Bennett-9926699

Bennett's popularity dropped in the 1960s during the height of the rock music era and the "British Invasion". In the 1980s he staged a comeback by catering to the "MTV Generation" and continues to release albums and perform in concerts.http://www.biography.com/articles/Tony-Bennett-9926699

On October 27, 2010, at the age of 84, Bennett sang God Bless America before Game 1 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers.http://www.nesn.com/2010/10/tony-bennett-84-sings-god-bless-america-at-game-1-of-world-series.html

When Bennett was 10, he sang at the opening of the Triborough Bridge and attended New York's High School of Industrial Art. At 16 he dropped out of school to help support his family, and it was then he decided to embark on a singing career. His first gig was as a singing waiter in Queens where he made $15 a week.http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Playlist/story?id=3659051

World War II interrupted Bennett's singing career, but when the War was over he returned to singing. In 1949, he was discovered by Pearl Bailey, who spotted his talent and asked Bennett to open for her at a Greenwich Village performance.http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Playlist/story?id=3659051 Bob Hope then asked Bennett to go on the road with him, and Bennett became one of the most popular singers for almost two decades.http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz66.htm

In 1971, after a drop in popularity, Bennett divorced his wife of 20 years, Patricia Beech. They had two children, D'Andrea and Deagal. Tony and Patricia had been separated since 1965 due to Bennett's touring schedule. Bennett had also been linked romantically with Sandra Grant, and soon after Bennett's divorce was official, he married Grant on December 29, 1971.http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20126853,00.html

Bennett could not regain his popularity after his second marriage, and by the end of the 1970s did not have a recording contract or manager. He had also developed an addiction to cocaine and marijuana, and the Internal Revenue Service was trying to seize his home.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EED6113DF931A35756C0A96F958260

After a near-fatal cocaine overdose in 1979, Tony called his sons for help. Danny got his father's finances back on track and became his manager. Tony was reunited with his pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p9640

Danny believed that his father would find success as a singer even in the era of punk rock, disco, and new wave. Danny booked his father on shows such as Late Night With David Letterman, where Tony could introduce a younger audience to the old classics. He sang and appeared in a 1993 video for Steppin' Out and on MTV Unplugged in 1994.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E5D91F31F932A35756C0A962958260