“We aren’t likely to see a recording career like this again.” — The New York Times
“… his voice is still a technical marvel, and no one else on earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.” — New York Magazine
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is proud to present TONY BENNETT — the iconic, 19-time Grammy Award-winning artist whose music spans over six decades — on Friday, January 24th at the Special Events Center. Tickets range from $49 to $109, on sale this Friday, November 8th at Fantasy Springs Box Office, via phone (800) 827-2946 and online at www.FantasySpringsResort.com.
At age 93, Bennett shows no signs of slowing down. His latest recording, with long-time friend and musical collaborator Diana Krall, Love Is Here to Stay, topped the jazz charts upon its 2018 debut and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The album celebrates the music of George and Ira Gershwin, and includes the jazz standard “Fascinating Rhythm,” which is performed as a duet. The inclusion of the song was the impetus for a Guinness World Record for Bennett, who in 1949, under his stage name of Joe Bari at the time, made his very first recording of the Gershwin classic.
In 2017, the Library of Congress presented Bennett with The Gershwin Prize, marking the first time that an interpretive singer has been honored. The event was broadcast on PBS nationally and featured tribute performances by Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Gloria Estefan and many others. His signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” was inducted in the National Recordings Registry in 2018. Bennett’s sixth book, Tony Bennett: On Stage and in the Studio, provides an insightful look into the artist’s illustrious recording career, highlighted by an extensive array of photographs, memorabilia, and artwork.
With worldwide record sales in the millions, and dozens of platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett is a musician who touches the hearts and souls of audiences with his legendary vocals and charming stage presence. His long list of achievements includes 19 Grammy Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His signature tunes, such as “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” form part of the fabric of American music culture. Often billed as the world’s most boyish nonagenarian, Bennett remains a vital artist at the peak of his powers.
Having celebrated his 90th birthday in August of 2016, the milestone was marked by the presentation of Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best is Yet to Come — a two-hour primetime special that aired in December. A companion album of the same name was released simultaneously and won a Grammy Award in 2017. Bennett’s 85th birthday in 2011 marked the release of Duets II and made music history by making him the oldest artist to ever have a No. 1 album on the Billboard charts. Duets II followed Tony Bennett Duets: An American Classic, released in 2006.
The year 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the singer’s signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as the release of the documentary The Zen of Bennett, created and conceived by his son and manager Danny Bennett. In 2014, Bennett released a collaborative album with Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek, featuring the two legendary artists performing jazz standards. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Bennett the oldest musical artist, at the age of 88, to have an album top the Billboard 200. It also garnered a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Album category. Bennett is a Kennedy Center Honoree, an NEA Jazz Master and a recipient of the United Nation’s Humanitarian and Citizen of the World honors. He is also a talented painter, having exhibited his work in galleries around the world, with three of his original paintings in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Throughout his career, Bennett has put his heart and time into supporting humanitarian concerns, including joining the late Dr. Martin Luther King in the historic Selma march in 1965. His many charitable works include raising millions to treat diabetes and lending his artwork to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Together with his wife, Susan, Bennett established Exploring the Arts (ETA) to support arts education in public high schools. He founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a public high school in his hometown of Astoria, Queens, and ETA now supports 38 public high schools throughout New York City and Los Angeles.
For more information on Tony Bennett please visit www.tonybennett.com and www.exploringthearts.org.
Tickets for Tony Bennett ($49, $69, $89 and $109) go on sale this Friday, November 8th at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, via phone (800) 827-2946 and online at www.FantasySpringsResort.com.
