Tony Bennett’s most famous song had strange QC link
By Ava Barnes
The legendary Tony Bennett – who died at 96 on Friday — was last due to perform in Davenport in 2019. It was then I learned his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” had an interesting tie to Davenport.
Bennett, then 92, was scheduled to play the Adler Theatre on June 5, 2019, but the concert was canceled, partly due to flooding concerns. He did perform at Circa ’21 in Rock Island in February 1990 and April 1991 (a total of six sold-out shows), but never played the 30-year-old Vibrant Arena at The MARK.
His biggest hit song had a rocky road to its golden fame, and four cousins in Davenport filed suit to obtain the composer’s royalties, as I reported in 2019. You can read the rest of that story by clicking here.
2019 Q & A
This reporter also did an e-mail interview with Bennett published May 30, 2019. Below are some of the highlights. You can read the entire interview here.
What are the biggest challenges and benefits in performing at almost 93?
“I feel great, and I just want to keep on going as long as possible — so I don’t find performing a challenge at all. It just continues to be a wonderful blessing to still be able to sing for an audience and entertain them, and my hope is that while they are in the theater, they forget about their own daily problems and worries and just have a good time. I love making people feel good with my music.”
Why is it important for you to keep touring and recording?
“It’s funny, as 20 years ago, I was always being asked if I ever planned on retiring and I would say, ‘Retire to what? I am doing what I love most in the whole world.’ And now, instead of being asked when I will retire, everyone tells me, ‘Tony, just keep on going.’ I met the singer Joe Williams on a plane many years ago, and we were talking about our life as singers, and Joe said to me, ‘It’s not that we want to sing; it’s that we HAVE to sing.’ And he was right about that.”
What makes the Great American Songbook so great?
“The ’20s, ’30s and ’40s was a golden age of songwriting, when you had absolute master craftsmen such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Jerome Kern — just an astounding group of songwriters all writing popular songs at the same time. It was a real renaissance, and the result was The Great American Songbook that is one of America’s greatest contributions to world culture.
“Wherever I go around the world to perform, the audience all know these songs, can sing the lyrics, and love them. The music is of the highest level, nd the lyrics communicate across demographics, age and culture, which allow them to transcend and remain timeless.”
Why don’t you get tired of singing some of the same songs after 70 years?
“I fell in love with jazz in the 1940s and have never stopped, and under the G.I. Bill of Rights after I returned home from World War II, I had the opportunity to study at The American Theatre Wing. One of my teachers, Mimi Speer, encouraged me to study jazz instrumentalists and how they played their instruments to gain insight in developing my own vocal style. So I have always gravitated toward working with jazz musicians.
“They are consummate artists who have such expertise that they are able to improvise on the spot, so when I tour, I have a magnificent jazz quartet, so every night we play each song differently. And if we want to change the tempo or add a new song, it can be done during the show so it keeps each performance in the moment and spontaneous — so it never feels repetitive.”
What do you enjoy most about partnering with singers like Krall and Gaga?
“It’s all about proper involvement, so with all the duets we have done over the years, it’s been about working with artists who love the material — even artists who may have not ever performed or recorded popular standards before, but who understand the legacy of the music. That’s really been my premise with all the duet albums, to promote the Great American Songbook and work with contemporary artists whose fans will then discover this incredible treasure trove of songs.”
What’s been a highlight of your career?
“You just brought up Lady Gaga, and I would have to say that recording and touring with Lady has been a true pleasure and has become much more than just recording a duet together. Our families get along, and she has such talent — and when I saw her jazz show in Las Vegas, it astounded me as to how spectacular she is as a performer. There is an excitement she generates and a connection to the audience that is very rare.”
Do you still paint regularly, and if so, why?
“Yes, I still paint and sketch as I have been doing so all my life. It was Duke Ellington who noticed how much time I spent painting and told me that I should really make it a priority as much as performing. He said it’s better to do two things creatively then just one. And it’s been a yin-yang relationship that allows me to stay in a creative zone without getting burned out. If I get a bit tired from singing, then I go to my studio and paint, and four hours goes by like four minutes, and then when I am done I am ready to jump back on stage again and sing.”
