Not only has the legendary singer, Tony Bennett, aged gracefully, but he has had one of the most successful music careers in history. At the age of 92, Bennett is still receiving rewards to honor his great accomplishments. Bennett has wowed the world with his vocal prowess for decades, and while most of his best work has been on stages around the world, there are some memorable moments of him and his songs in television and cinema. If you are under 40, there is a good chance that a great deal of Bennett’s work is alien to you, unless you happen to be a music fanatic. What we decided to do here was take a different approach, instead of making a list of Bennet’s top songs, in which we would surely be forced to leave some great ones out, we decided to make a short list of the top uses on both, the big screen and the little screen.
These songs and appearances are not listed in any particular order.
Make Room for Daddy ~ Without a Song (1959)
Bennett started gracing television with his presence and his talents as far back as the 1950s. He made a guest appearance on Make Room for Daddy, which starred the legendary Danny Thomas as Danny Williams. Bennet played the role of Stephen, the cousin of Danny. Stephen has a great future in his father’s dry goods business; however, his passion was to become a singer. On the show, Bennett performs two of his songs, “From This Moment On” and “Without a Song.”
Blue Bloods ~ It Had to Be You (2011)
Now this one has a special place in my heart – not only because “It Had to Be You” is one of my favorite songs from Tony Bennett, but because of the fact that this particular television appearance and performance involved a duet in which Tony sang with my favorite female country singer (with the exception of REBA). To watch an aging Tony create such beautiful chemistry with a rising legend like Underwood was amazing. You can the admiration and adoration in the eyes of Carrie the entire time that they performed.
Amy ~ Body and Soul (2015)
Who can forget the duet that Tony Bennett performed with the late Amy Winehouse? Body and Soul were so rich with culture and soul that it should definitely be listed as one of his top 25 songs. I know that top 25 does not sound that impressive, but when you have as many hits has Tony Bennett, the top 25 on the list are sizzling and the songs have probably been heard by a large portion of the world’s population. This documentary about the late singer featured the duet that she performed with Bennett, and just as with Carrie Underwood, you could sense the appreciation that Winehouse had for the moment. The interesting thing is that you could also sense that Tony recognized that he was also in the presence of a genius. It is unclear if any knew that the genius of Amy Winehouse would be leaving the world soon.
The Very Gaga Thanksgiving ~ The Lady is a Tramp (2011)
If there was any one person who had a genius that was viewed as being in the same spectrum of light as Amy Winehouse, it would be Lady Gaga. They both transcended music and emitted a light that seemed to heal a generation. They both struggled with their own demons but found a way to bring joy into the lives of others. In 2011, Tony Bennett joined Gaga on her Thanksgiving special to perform the duet The Lady is a Tramp. While it was obvious that both of these stars had an immense appreciation for the gift of each other. It was also apparent that they had a lot of fun working on this song and singing together. I believe they both were in awe in their own way, but they both chose to consume the moment instead of getting lost in it. I remember this performance as if it were yesterday. Music fans from all genres were talking about the performance for weeks. I don’t like to play favorites but this is my favorite contemporary duet involving Tony Bennet, even over the one he did with Carrie Underwood. Sorry Carrie.
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