Crooner honoured
THE Library of Congress broke with tradition this week in announcing legendary jazz crooner Tony Bennett as the recipient of this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
The lifetime achievement prize has previously been awarded to talented performers who double as noted songwriters. Although Bennett does not fall under the latter category, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden cited his impact on popular music as the reason behind his selection.
“Tony Bennett is one of the most accomplished and beloved artists of our time,” Hayden said. “His staying power is a testament to the enduring appeal of the Great American Songbook the Gershwins helped write, and his ability to collaborate with new generations of music icons has been a gift to music lovers of all ages.”
Bennett, 90, has been performing for almost seven decades, first topping the charts in the 1950s with a number of Columbia singles. He has won 18 Grammy Awards – the first two in 1962 for his signature tune, I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Named a Kennedy Centre honoree in 2005 and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006, Bennett has had 24 songs make the Top 40.
Congress created the Gershwin Prize in 2007, and recipients include Carole King, Paul Simon and Smokey Robinson. Bennett noted that one of the earliest songs he recorded was George and Ira Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm.
“To be receiving an award that was named in their honour is one of the greatest thrills of my career,” he said.
Bennett has connected with younger audiences, collaborating with such artists as Carrie Underwood and John Mayer on Duets II in 2011. It debuted at No 1 on the Billboard albums chart, rendering Bennett, then 85, the oldest artist to achieve the feat. He then teamed up with Lady Gaga at 88 to record the jazz duets album Cheek to Cheek, breaking the record once more.
Born Anthony Benedetto in 1926, Bennett grew up in New York and pursued his interests of singing and painting at school. He now supports students with similar aspirations. – The Washington Post