Singing icon Tony Bennett says the best is yet to come

Singing legend Tony Bennett is always asked to perform The Best Is Yet To Come and even though he’s in his 90s now, he doesn’t just sing it – he believes it!

“I go to bed every night looking forward to tomorrow and resolved to make it a great day for as many people as possible,” said Tony, who will be 94 in August and is still performing.

“I was once told by a doctor to get out there and keep going and that was good advice, so ever since I have continued to get out there and keep going. What amazes me is not that I am still doing it but that people still want me to do it.”

They certainly do. Whenever a Tony Bennett appearance is announced, tickets sell faster than for many of today’s music icons.

“They seem to like it but I hope it is for the sake of the music and a nice evening together,” he said. “I hope it is not because I am becoming some kind of freak show – a guy in his 90s who thinks he can still sing.”

Nothing could be farther from the truth, his appearances last year all ended with standing ovations and audiences marvelling at his performance. How does he do it?

“I think it is a lot to do with attitude,” he revealed. “I don’t look at myself in the mirror and keep reminding myself of what is written on my birth certificate. I think you can talk yourself into feeling old.

“If you walk into an old barn or a workshop and take a look around you might find some old tools or maybe even an old vehicle or tractor. Maybe you pick up a wrench and it’s seized up. All those things you find are not working properly because they have been inactive not because they are old.

“If you or I become inactive then we stop working properly. If we stay active our age becomes less important – it is the activity that shows us who and what we are, not the date on that certificate.”

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Tony Bennett’s life story has been told many times. He was indeed born into a poor New York family, partly because his father was not a well man.

“He did his best, but it was difficult for him to take care of us in the way he wanted,” Tony remembered. “He never neglected us and I look back and admire the fact that he kept trying. I was about 10 when he died and my mother kept our world together by working hard, doing what she could for us and giving us a lot of love. That’s so important.

“I think that is something I have always valued – the ability to do your best for people. Sometimes when you are on a long tour you do get tired, but I have always felt that every night on a tour should be the best night of your life.

“People have made a lot of effort and paid money to come to see you and you should never short-change them. Give them your best, give them a night to remember.

“Being a singer, a performer is not to do with being famous or making millions of dollars, it is about doing your best for people, giving them the gift of a memory that will stay with them forever.

“I have worked with so many great people, from Frank Sinatra to Pearl Bailey, Jimmy Durante, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne – so many great stars and they all had the same approach – when you walk out on that stage you want to give yourself to everyone who is there, even if it is one man and his dog in the audience, he still deserves everything you can give him – and so does the dog.”

Tony Bennett’s real surname is Benedetto, but he was advised to change it to Bennett as it would be easier to remember.

“That was Bob Hope’s idea and he was right,” said Tony. “He was a great entertainer of course, very smart and quick sense of humour. He was a nice man, too, and always willing to help others, especially people taking their early steps in the business. I never regret becoming Tony Bennett, but I never forget my family roots either.”

Tony’s albums are still selling in vast numbers after decades at the top and he never rules out going into the recording studio once again.

“I take each day as it comes and never rule anything out,” he said. “Of course, I pace myself and I plan to be active for some time to come, but I am sure there will be more gigs and I would not be surprised if I am not in the studio again before long. I have recorded all the favourite songs plus some others, but there are always new songs to sing so who knows?”

How would he like to be remembered? That’s a question which makes him smile.

© Aylott/ANL/Shutterstock

“At the moment, I would like to be remembered as the guy they went to see in concert last night and want to go and see again next year,” he jokingly replied.

“Maybe I might want to be remembered for my art – I have had a lot of success with my paintings, probably more than I deserve, but hopefully people will still like them long after I have gone. Perhaps they will still buy my albums, too, but I really don’t think that far ahead. If I have a concert to do next month we’ll concentrate on that, not what we might or might not be doing 10 years from now.”

Tony Bennett already has an ongoing legacy he has bequeathed to generations of potential entertainers – the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.

“I was very excited to help create that and it had to have that name because Frank was the best and that’s what we wanted students to strive to be,” he explained. “When I was starting out I used to try to sound like him but several people, including Frank, told me to just be myself, so I did and it worked.

“It is all about giving young people – and others – the chance to follow their star and try to present their own gifts to audiences. There is always some great talent coming through – and I don’t mean what you see on TV shows.

“There is a lot of talent that doesn’t get the chance to learn the trade properly and have opportunities to really show what they can do in front of an audience. We created the school of arts to make a difference and I hope it has.

“I don’t like to hear of talent being wasted, which is why I was so sad a while ago when I heard Amy Winehouse had passed away. She had a fantastic and very natural jazz voice and that would have blossomed into something very, very special. It was very sad that her lifestyle ruined things for her. There are a lot of young people who similarly have so much to offer – let’s hope it doesn’t get ruined.”

The inevitable question is, of course, did Tony Bennett really leave his heart in San Francisco?

“Not all of it,” he replied. “I have a big heart, I think, so I am able to leave bits of it everywhere I go. I am from New York, so part of my heart is there, but if you look you will find there are bits of my heart in London, Paris, Tokyo and everywhere else I have walked on stage and said ‘Hi’ to people. Hopefully, there are more to come yet.

“I feel good, I don’t forget things except maybe… I can’t remember now…” he joked. “I keep telling myself – the best is yet to come.”