He might have famously left his heart in San Francisco, but legendary crooner Tony Bennett has also left a seat behind in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.
Tony died last Friday (21 July), just 13 days short of what would have been his 97th birthday on 3 August.
He last played the Broad Street venue at the heart of Westside on 3 July 2017 as part of his 90th birthday-year celebrations. And in trademark fashion, he concluded his set in the 2,262 capacity hall by singing Fly Me To The Moon without using a mic.
At the end of the show, the grocer’s son from Astoria on Long Island was presented with a framed picture of Symphony Hall, which he always said had only one rival for the best concert venue in the world – the Madison in Dallas.
But that wasn’t his only surprise that night. Tony was also awarded his own seat – T10 in the stalls – to commemorate what was his tenth visit during the venue’s then 26th year. Watch our commemorative slide show tribute to Tony Bennett here:
Today, visitors might have to be sitting behind that chair to realise it has got Tony’s name on it, but if you ever book it then remember to look at the plaque attached to the back.
The star had already performed 27 songs during his 90-minute set. But having begun his showbusiness career as a singing waiter, Tony graciously spent extra time on the stage to not only receive his award but to soak up the respect from his adoring audience.
“I love being here, I just think this is the finest concert hall in the world,” said Tony, whose 67-year career at that point included performing for half a dozen of his 11 US Presidents. “It stays with me for years and years so thanks for being so good to us tonight.”
As Tony exited stage right (from his own perspective), he gave one last thumbs up to his fans. And with that he was gone…
In the late 1940s, talent-spotting mentor Bob Hope had recommended that he change his name from Anthony Dominick Benedetto to Tony Bennett.
The rest is history, with Tony later overcoming some inevitable fallow years to create a whole new career out of working with younger artists like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, as well as having performed duets with Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney and Elton John.
His final performances were at New York’s Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga on 3 and 5 August 2021 in celebration of his 95th birthday.
A late period Second World War veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in early 1945, Tony was demoted for inviting a black soldier to a Thanksgiving dinner.
He joined Martin Luther King’s civil rights march to Montgomery in Alabama in 1965 but later refused to be drawn into politics over NATO’s actions in Kosovo. “I just stay with the music,” he told me.
Tony left Symphony Hall having sold ten million records in the previous ten years and died having amassed 20 Grammy Awards.
His first was in 1963 for best male vocal performance and effectively his tenth was for Lifetime Achievement in 2001. Ten more Grammy Awards followed including his last in 2022 for traditional pop vocal album.
During that last performance at Symphony Hall in 2017, Tony cleverly masked a rare slip when he feigned a ‘senior moment’ at the start of It Amazes Me by joking: “I’ve forgotten the lyrics.” In 2021, he revealed he had first been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016.
Having recently recovered from a virus, his voice was a touch croaky at times. But he embraced his still-perfect phrasing and clarity of diction on every song.
I’d first interviewed him in 1999 and he was one of the old-school stars who would then invite you backstage after his show to see what you thought. He revealed how Frank Sinatra’s advice to him was simply: “Don’t do any tricks or novelty songs just to get a hit, don’t compromise.”
And actor Cary Grant told him how boring working for a camera was: “Just become one of the best singers around – and come alive every night.”
If he could relive any part of his own version of The Good Life, what would it be? “I would choose from 1968-9 to 1973 when I started with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich,” Tony told me. “Meeting the masters who were all ten years my elders. They were the real pros and I had a wonderful musical education.”
No wonder he took such pleasure in passing on that knowledge to younger stars himself. See you on the moon, Tony.
● Video slideshow and pictures are all © Graham Young.
