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RELATED LINKS

• Mr. Bennett's official site
• Parade magazine article on Mr. Bennett
• Article on Mr. Bennett
• Mr. Bennett's official site on Columbia Records
• Mr. Bennett's bio

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Tavis: I am honored to welcome Tony Bennett to this program. The brilliant performer has sold more than fifty million records worldwide during his storied and stellar career. In addition to all the accolades for his music, thirteen Grammy awards, a tireless advocate for human and civil rights is he, honored by Dr. King and the family with his Salute to Greatness Award back in 2002.

He's just celebrated now his eightieth birthday clearly -- look at the guy -- not retiring. His latest CD in stores this month, a collection of duets with a wide range of great artists. Here is some of the recording session for Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic".

[A film clip is shown]

Tavis: An honor to have you on this program.

Tony Bennett: Same here. Thank you.

Tavis: I'm honored to have you. I mean that in more ways than one.

Bennett: I mean it too. I watch you all the time. I love it. You have wonderful interviews.

Tavis: I appreciate that. I'm not one who drops names, but I should thank The Artist Prince for making this introduction. I was saying to some friends of mine that -- I won't give all the details here -- but I'm standing at a private little gathering of Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder and Prince and I could not believe I'm standing with Bennett, Prince and Wonder at the same time (laughter). Three legends.

Bennett: That was a great day. We had so much fun.

Tavis: We had a good time that day.

Bennett: I love Stevie, you know, so much. He's the most honest and most wonderful artist that I know. Stevie is just my favorite jazz artist.

Tavis: What is it about him and his music? Because everybody's been inspired by this guy. Why do you love him so?

Bennett: I like him because I grew up in an age of individualism and it was great. You know, it wasn't like today where everybody's doing what the Beatles do or what the Rolling Stones or whatever. There's no individualism today.

I grew up in a magnificent era right on 52nd Street, you know, and my teacher was right across the street in the brownstone teaching me all about jazz, and being very influenced by Art Tatum and Billie Holiday and Count Basie and George Shearing and Stan Getz. They were all on that one street. It was all about being yourself and being an individual and that's what made me successful. It's not like you didn't do what everybody else was doing, which is what they do today.

Tavis: That's a lonely row to hoe, though. I mean, particularly at eighty -- by the way, you look not a day over fifty. You're looking younger than me. Happy birthday. I should have started that. Forgive my manners, but happy birthday.

Bennett: (Laughter) Oh, that's okay.

Tavis: That said, it seems to me, though, to be a struggle over the longevity of a career to hold on to that individuality, to not change what it is that you do when everything else around you is changing.

Bennett: Well, you know, the late Joe Williams -- I met him on a plane by accident one day. We were good friends. We both started out in Chicago, one of the cities I started touring. He said to me one day, "The thing about you" -- and he really saved me a lot of money from going to psychiatrists or something -- he said, "It's not that you want to sing, but you have to sing."

That really defined and explained myself to myself the way Joe said it. My life is about singing and painting and that's all I do. I just have to do it. I feel the goal in me even now at eighty years old. I feel like I'm just starting out, funny enough.

Tavis: Wow. When did you know that this singing thing is what you were born to do?

Bennett: Well, my parents were beautiful. My mom had to raise three children. My father died when I was ten years old and my mom was a seamstress and had to raise three children right during the Depression. The families around me, my relatives, my aunts and uncles and my cousins, were so simpatico to our situation that, every Sunday, they'd come over and my brother, sister and myself would stand in the center of a circle and they would take out guitars and mandolins and have us perform for them.

They gave us so much encouragement that, when I went into the so-called real world, you know, and someone said, "You can't sing" or "You can't paint" or something, I'd say to myself, "That's what you think." I wasn't being conceited. It's just that my family gave us so much encouragement about how good we were. That was their entertainment.

Tavis: How did you find your way -- I imagine it was the time you were born in -- but tell me how you found your way singing the classic stuff that you do sing versus singing any other genre of music.

Bennett: Well, when I came out of the service under the G.I. Bill of Rights --

Tavis: -- you were in the Army?

Bennett: Yes, I was in the service in France and Germany, a foot soldier. When I came out, I decided to go into show business and, under the G.I. Bill of Rights, I joined the American Theater Wing and, like Studs Terkel from Chicago, called it, the good war. You know, they gave us the best teachers. It was unbelievable the teachers that they gave me in voice production, Pietra de Andrea, learning how to keep your voice through the years.

Mimi Speer on 52nd Street taught me popular music and taught me to imitate musicians rather than other singers so I wouldn't sound like somebody else and be one of the chorus of some famous star. She said, "You listen to the musicians on 52nd Street and pick out." I liked Art Tatum on piano and then Stan Getz. He had a beautiful honey sound. And Lester Young. Those three artists really gave me my start.

Tavis: Your teacher -- when a legend like you comes on, of course, you hear things you've never heard before, but let me go back and pick apart, if I can, something you just said to me that I don't want to lose here.

Bennett: Right.

Tavis: Your teacher taught you to imitate musicians and not artists.

Bennett: Right.

Tavis: What's the distinction? What's the difference?

Bennett: Well, the singers -- you know, Frank Sinatra was the rage in those days and his big competition was a guy called Dick Haynes and then there was Billy Eckstine. They were so popular that she said, "If you just sing like they do and imitate their voices, you're going to sound like one of the chorus because everybody's doing that". She said, "To be an individual, listen to musicians and listen to what they're doing and imitate musicians rather than the singers." It was a very creative teacher that told me what to do about just being myself.

When you listen -- like Billie Holiday was singing on that street. There would always be sold-out houses whenever she sang. When you listen to her, you realize that she's not doing anybody else but Billie. You listen to Billie and that's it. Because she was herself and that's what makes you different. In those days, if you were different, you got a good shot at becoming successful, but you just got to be yourself.

Tavis: You've done so much in eighty years that I can't do justice to it in a half hour, but let me go back a moment ago. Let me go back and get something you said a few minutes ago. You were in the Army?

Bennett: Right.

Tavis: I mentioned at the top of this conversation that you were honored some years ago by the King family for being such a true pioneer, for being such a wonderful American, quite frankly, where human and civil rights are concerned. We'll talk in a moment about the letter from Dr. King that hangs on the wall in your office. I'll come back to that in just a second.

But I want to go back to your Army days long before you even met Dr. King because, in the Army, you end up -- it's a wonderful story, depending on your perspective. It's a wonderful story about what you had to endure when you were befriending some of the Black soldiers. Do you remember this?

Bennett: It wasn't Black soldiers. It was a Black soldier.

Tavis: A particular Black soldier.

Bennett: I had a best friend in high school before I went into the service. His name was Frank Smith. He's gone now. He's passed on. But he was a great friend of mine and we were just like that. He was a drummer and I was a singer and we had aspirations to become successful someday and we had a group going. We were youngsters.

Of all things, at the end of the war, we had to wait for enough points to come home to America again after the war. So I was stationed in Mannheim, Germany at the Truman Hotel. Walking down the street, of all the things, I ran into Frank Smith. I couldn't believe it. I said, "Frank, what are you doing here?" and we started laughing. It was Thanksgiving Day and he said, "I'm going to my church to mass. Would you like to come with me?" A beautiful Baptist church. I said, "Sure, let's go."

We went to the church and on the way out, I said, "You know, they allow me to have one guest over at the Truman Hotel in Mannheim, Germany. I'd like you to be my guest and we can have some turkey." He said, "Great. Let's do it." So we sat down and were laughing about school days and all that and what a coincidence it was to see one another in Germany.

When we finished, on the way up into the lobby, a bigoted United States Army Captain came over to me. He said, "Benedetto, get your gear. In twenty minutes, you're checking out." I said, "What do you mean? What's the matter? What are you talking about?"

He took my Corporal stripes and ripped them off my jacket, spit on it and threw it on the floor. He said, "We don't like the company you're keeping." That moment changed my life...I'm sorry. So they sent me to Graves Registration. It was a wonderful job. I had to dig up bodies.

Tavis: That was your punishment, digging up bodies of dead --

Bennett: -- luckily, there was a Colonel Lefkowitz who heard about the absurdity of it and pulled me out of there a week later and then put me as a librarian for the great orchestra, The American Forces Network, which went all over Europe. I was so grateful that, when I came out of the Army, I said I'm going to go into show business. But the intolerance and the ignorance of that has changed my life.

Tavis: Thinking as you're telling the story, there's a bible verse -- speaking of going to the Baptist Church with your friend, Frank -- there's a bible verse that says, "They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." The captain meant it for evil, but it turns out to be what directs you into making the decision that you want to go into show business, and we all benefit from that decision that you made, so it worked out.

Bennett: Things work out for the best. I mean, that's what was so good about my family. We always had an optimistic viewpoint. During the Depression, no one had any money and we still believed in the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tavis: Speaking of your family, another thing you just slid right in there. You slid in that name Benedetto (laughter). You slid it right in there. So those of us who are huge Tony Bennett fans, we know that whole name of Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett. But the story about how you got the name of Tony Bennett and who gave it to you is remarkable.

Bennett: That was funny, you know, because after gigging around and trying to get successful in show business, I finally got a big break. Pearl Bailey was at the Greenwich Village Inn down in New York. She had me in a show and she told the boys after she heard me rehearsing and said, "I'm coming in here next week. If he's not in the show, I'm not performing here next week." She gave me my big break. Bob Hope was at the Paramount Theater with the great Les Brown and his Band of Renown and Jane Russell. He came down to see Pearl.

So he saw me and got a kick out of me because I was the only white kid in the show (laughter). He said, "Come over here. What's your name?" I had one of these stage names and just trying to get famous and all that when I first started. I said, "It's Joe Barry." He said, "That's a city in Italy. What's your real name?" I said, "Anthony Dominick Benedetto." He said, "Well, let's Americanize you and call you Tony Bennett." And that's how I got that name.

Tavis: Bob Hope (laughter).

Bennett: Bob Hope. He had no idea that there would ever be a singer called Engelbert Humperdinck (laughter).

Tavis: (Laughter) If he could make it with that name, you could have made it with Anthony Dominick Benedetto, but Tony Bennett is a lot easier to say and easier to remember. I mentioned a moment ago that letter from Dr. King that hangs on your wall. The letter hangs on your wall because King sent you a personal thank-you note for your work performing in the civil rights era. So what was it about you that made you want to do stuff that might have damaged your career hanging out with these Negroes?

Bennett: As I said before, what happened to Frank Smith and myself changed my life. It actually changed my life. To this day, I won't, you know, put up with the absurdities of what goes on. I think it's a tremendous injustice. It's even happening with Italian Americans right now, you know. They keep talking about the Sopranos and the Godfather, which are magnificent actors and everything, but I think it's a terrible disgrace, knowing the history of Italian culture. They did win last night (laughter).

Tavis: (Laughter) The Italians did win the World Cup, absolutely.

Bennett: I mean, there's such history there. You know, the amount of ignorance about thinking that every Italian American is a thief. I mean, we're all crooks, one way or another, you know. Come on, let's be honest (laughter).

Tavis: So you didn't mind spending your time, honestly, performing at various events during the civil rights era that King was appreciative of.

Bennett: Well, yeah, but I wasn't the only one. There were many artists. Sammy Davis, Jr. and Leonard Bernstein and all those magnificent artists showed up. That's one thing about the theater on Broadway. They have humanity, they have culture, they have intelligence and, when something is done incorrectly, you should stand up for it. I think everybody in America should stand up for it.

Tavis: When I met you, you were doing exactly as I had been told by countless folk who have met you over the years and know you. I was excited to meet you, but I'd been told that, when you run into Tony Bennett, no matter what he's doing, unless he's on stage at that very moment, he's more than likely to have a sketch pad in his hand. He's going to be standing around talking and sketching whoever's in front of him.

So sure enough, when I walked up and we get a chance to meet and talk, you and Stevie are doing a rehearsal together. We walk up and Stevie's doing his part of the rehearsal. While Stevie's rehearsing, you're sketching this picture of Stevie.

Bennett: Right.

Tavis: So where did the love for art and the sketching come from?

Bennett: Well, I think I mentioned earlier. I mean, I've always known what I wanted to do. I have a passion to sing and paint and I think everybody in the world should just -- if they're going to go to work, which is pretty tough, you should find something that you're passionate about and go for it. I don't consider it work. I've never worked a day in my life because I'm doing something that I love to do.

Tavis: That's unfair, though, that a guy should be so gifted (laughter). You've sold fifty million records worldwide and you got artwork at the Smithsonian. Like how unfair is that (laughter)?

Bennett: It's unfair. I couldn't believe it. I never planned to be in the Smithsonian when it happened. I'll never get over that, I'll never get over that.

Tavis: I want to go to the music now. I could talk to you for hours having nothing to do with the music, which is saying that you are such a deep individual beyond just the music. Give me a handful of songs that, if you were to walk off stage and not perform, the audience would start losing their mind. They'd scream, "Get back out here, Mr. Benedetto!" Stuff that you have to do after all these that they want to hear.

Bennett: That's a misunderstanding that I have to do it. You know why? Because of my jazz education, I never sing the same song twice. I'll just turn a phrase and it's brand new to me each time. I listen to the changes of the musicians around me or the atmosphere and it's never the same. My signature song, my favorite, is "San Francisco" --

Tavis: -- and you still love it.

Bennett: I love it. I do it different every night. I'm not tired about singing it. I happen to like to entertain people and it makes me feel good to make them forget their problems for ninety minutes. It's a terrific occupation. I just enjoy what I do.

Tavis: I'm excited to hear you say that because I've interviewed artists -- who shall remain nameless -- who have said the exact opposite. They get tired of singing the same songs.

Bennett: They're not doing it right. They're just singing it the same way. That's boring. To answer your question, a certain song that I know the public loves of Tony Bennett songs is "Once Upon a Time" from "All American", a song that Ray Bolger introduced. I love that song.

Actually, the only problem I've had is talking the producers into just -- I never want to do a bad song. If it isn't a good song, I pass on it in a polite way as much as possible. But I just try to do songs that I think the public are going to love. It has to have a musicality to it so I'm never going to get tired of seeing it.

Tavis: How have you kept the voice so strong? I mean, you're eighty years old and you can still belt those notes out like you did years ago. How do you still do that at eighty?

Bennett: Well, once again, it's an Italian American trick (laughter). It's called Bel Canto. It was invented by some very hip musicians years ago in Italy, centuries ago at this point. It was the beginning of opera and they created a Bel Canto, which is based on the vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and you just warm up with that every day. Just ten or fifteen minutes.

It's not the way that the general public thinks that you're singing like Pavarotti or something. I mean, no one could sing like Pavarotti. But it's just a warm-up, just a general warm-up. You know, we're different every day, so it's a matter of breathing and thinking about where you're going to place that note in the center of the bull's-eye so you're singing in tune. That kind of thing is about ten or fifteen minutes a day and, by doing that, your voice survives.

Tavis: So would I be right to say that every single day of your life, you do a little singing and some art? Like every day?

Bennett: See now, once again, one of the great masters, Duke Ellington, was a great friend of my family. He told me to do two things, don't do one. That changed my life also because, when I got tired of singing, I just went over to painting and that felt all fresh and new again. Now when I got tired of painting, I'd go back to singing. This way, I never have to go on vacation.

Everybody that I know says I got to get out of here and go on vacation and forget all this work that I'm doing, but I never feel that way. He kept me in the creative zone so that, no matter where I'm at, whether it's in Hawaii or Singapore or wherever I'm at or wherever I'm booked, I'm having a beautiful time where people spend millions of dollars to go and just take a look at these great cities of the world and I'm working that night.

I meet an American and they say, "Isn't Hawaii great? Look at that. I'm so bored. I don't know what to do here." I'm saying, "Well, I'm performing tonight. You might want to come and see me." It's a pleasure to just be alive this way, you see?

Tavis: You still love doing this thing all around the world.

Bennett: Yep, I really love doing that. It's a great education to see all the different countries and I'm able to paint different countries all over the world, and people.

Tavis: You must feel sometimes like you're the luckiest guy in the world.

Bennett: Well, I'm fortunate. It's put me in a state of contentment, let's put it that way. It's not perfect. Nobody's perfect. But at least I like what I'm doing. I don't regret my life. I don't feel disappointed about it. But I've learned through my mistakes. I've made so many mistakes and, to me, that's my education. The tough mistakes that I've learned, I've said, "Well, I'm staying away from that."

Tavis: We just talked for like half an hour and I wish I had like --

Bennett: -- no, that's it. It's a wrap.

Tavis: (Laughter) It's a wrap. I'm just getting started and the clock says we're out of time. Can I just tell you that this has been an absolute delight for me to sit here and talk to you. There are so many things we didn't get to, so one day you got to come back again.

Bennett: Well, I'd like to very much because I listen to you all the time and watch you all the time.

Tavis: I appreciate that. You're so kind. Nice to meet you.

Bennett: Thank you.

Tavis: That's our show for tonight. You can catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. I'll see you back here next time, though, on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles. Thanks for watching and, as always, keep the faith.