Tony Bennett, who died Friday at age 96, was a frequent presence in Spokane
Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but the master interpreter of “The Great American Songbook” appreciated Spokane.
“Flying to Spokane today on such a clear, beautiful day made me realize that this is the most beautiful part of the country we’ve ever seen,” Bennett told the crowd at the Spokane Opera House in 1979, according to Spokesman-Review reporter Dale Goodwin.
Bennett, who was a staple at the Spokane Opera House during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, died Friday at 96 after an unparalleled-80 year career.
Bennett, who was born in New York City as Anthony Benedetto, made a living belting out his signature tune “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” but his song could have been the tune his friend Frank Sinatra owned, “My Way.”
Trends never mattered to Bennett, who refused to chase fads. Bennett only knew two types of music: good and bad. The iconic singer was refreshingly candid about that subject during interviews.
“People are too easily pleased today,” Bennett said during an interview with The Spokesman-Review’s Tom Sowa in November 1980. “The music you hear is mostly an embarrassment. There’s some good writers, like Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Paul Williams, Billy Joel, but most people are on an ego trip.”
Unlike, say, the aforementioned Joel, who loathes performing such hits as “Captain Jack,” Bennett always gave fans what they wanted, which started with “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
“Let’s face it,” Bennett said to Sowa. “It’s my meal ticket. If I hadn’t sung that song, you wouldn’t be talking to me today.”
He is a rare artist who performed in Spokane more than 10 times.
Bennett, who played the Spokane Expo on a bill with Lena Horne in 1974, became the first nonclassical performer to play at the refurbished Fox Theater in 2007. He also performed in Spokane in 2013 and 2016.
The crooner understood the business and could deliver behind the microphone with his sturdy baritone. The charismatic entertainer had near-operatic range, with an uncanny sense of swing. The 20-time Grammy winner sold more than 50 million albums, but his career reads like a cardiogram.
It was an improbable comeback when Bennett hit the charts again during the late 1980s and ’90s. And then there was his inspired MTV Unplugged performance in 1994.
Bennett connected with a new generation at the age of 67 and impressed listeners while performing with Elvis Costello. Bennett enjoyed a third act by recording duet albums with k.d. lang, Diana Krall and Lady Gaga. Willie Nelson, Bono and Aretha Franklin are some of the icons who recorded duets with the stylish legend.
Bennett scored acclaim late in his career for his collaborations with Lady Gaga, which began with the album “Cheek to Cheek.” They toured together to promote the album in 2014 and 2015. With the release of the duo’s second album, “Love for Sale,” Bennett broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material, at the age of 95 years and 60 days. Bennett’s last concerts were in August 2021 at Radio City Music Hall.
It’s been an incomparable career, which stopped often in Spokane and also in North Idaho. When the resurgent Bennett played the Festival at Sandpoint in August 1992, he spoke with The Spokesman-Review’s Jim Kershner about his uncommon autonomy in the music business.
“Right now, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and myself are the only three artists that just hand their records in,” Bennett said. “Everybody else, if they don’t listen to the (record) company, they are out.”
Bennett followed by noting that he has an infallible ear and has no need for a producer.
“I remember when I was a kid in front of the Brill Building, which was the music business building on Broadway, I heard two guys standing there saying, ‘If a guy could pick a song, he’d make a million dollars.’ I said to myself, ‘I can do that. I know how to do that.’ ”
Bennett knew how to do that and much more, and his death leaves a true void in the music world.