Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett has been married thrice. His previous marriages to Patricia Beech and Sandra Grant ended in divorces. From these two marriages, he had four kids including singer Antonia Bennett. He married his third wife Susan Crow in 2007.

Tony Bennett was born as Anthony Dominick Benedetto on 3 August 1926, in Astoria, Queens, New York. His mother Anna Suraci was a seamstress and father John Benedetto was a grocer who died when Tony was ten. He grew up with his two older siblings.

By the age of ten, Tony was already singing. He also developed a love for fine arts. He enrolled at New York's School of Industrial Art. However, at the age of 16, he dropped out to support his poverty-stricken family.

Initially he served as a copy boy for the Associated Press and also took several other low-paying jobs. Later, he began performing as a singing waiter all around the city, in nightclubs, bars, functions, and events.

In November 1944, Benedetto joined the United States Army during the final stages of the World War II. During his time there, he sang under the stage name Joe Bari and performed with the 314th Army Special Services Band.

Upon his discharge in 1946, Benedetto returned to the States and continued singing wherever he could. He also made a few recordings in 1949 but they failed to sell.

Soon after this, the actress/singer Pearl Bailey recognized his talent and asked him to sing for her in an event opening. Bob Hope, who was also invited to the show, decided to give Benedetto a chance. Benedetto was then named “Tony Bennett” by Hope and signed to the major Columbia Records.

Bennett began his professional music career as a crooner of pop tunes. His first hit was the ballad "Because of You” which was produced by Mitch Miller. After the commercial success of the song, Miller continued to produce all of Bennett's early tracks. The latter’s "Blue Velvet" also went on to become quite popular.

In 1953, the singer once again gained fame with his "Rags to Riches". Soon after this, the producers of the Broadway musical ‘Kismet’ asked Bennett to sing “Stranger in Paradise” as a mode of promotion of their show. The song became a huge hit not only in the USA but in the UK as well.

In 1962, Tony Bennett staged a concert performance at Carnegie Hall along with musicians such as Al Cohn, Candido, Kenny Burrell and the Ralph Sharon Trio. This concert featured about 44 songs of Bennett’s including favorites like "The Best Is Yet To Come" and "I've Got the World on a String". The concert was a big success and it helped to raise Bennett's reputation both at home and abroad.