RIP Tony Bennett

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[Professor Knowall]

I heard about the death of Tony Bennett when I was away in Europe and on my return the other day, I’m a bit surprised there wasn’t more than one post here to mark his passing - he was a significant pop music artist in the 1950’s and, of course, went on to have a career lasting nearly 80 years. He was also a highly talented painter to boot.

And I can’t resist posting his second # 1 hit from 1951 - a cover of the immortal Hank Williams ‘Cold, Cold Heart’, giving it a pop makeover from Hank’s hard-core country original -


Anthony Dominick Benedetto aka Tony Bennett was one of the best of a long list of Italian-American singers who (apart from a few others like Bing Crosby, Doris Day and Elvis Presley), just about dominated American pop music in the mid 20th century, from the late 1930’s to the early 1960’s. Here’s a list of the most prominent, nearly a who’s who of American pop music of that era.

Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo aka Russ Colombo

Alfredo Arnold Cocozza aka Mario Lanza

Frank Paul LoVecchio aka Frankie Lane

Luigi Francisco Varlaro aka Don Cornell

Francis Sinatra aka Frank Sinatra

Dino Paul Crocetti aka Dean Martin

Pierino Ronald Como aka Perry Como

Vito Rocco Farinola aka Val Damone

Jasper Cini aka Al Martino

Francis Thomas Avallone aka Frankie Avalon

Dion Francis DiMucci aka Dion

Walden Robert Cassato aka Bobby Darin

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero aka Connie Francis

Francesco Stephen Castelluccio aka Franki Valli