Tony Bennett Biography

Fast Facts

• Performed at the opening of the Triborough Bridge in 1936, at the age of 9
• After serving in WWII, he joined the Army military band and sang under the name Joe Bari
• While touring with Bob Hope in 1949, Hope suggested he change his name to Tony Bennett
• In 1952, when he married his first wife, 2,000 young women dressed in black staged a mock protest in front of the church
• Is an accomplished painter with a studio in New York City; was chosen to be the official artist for the 2001 Kentucky Derby, and was commissioned for two paintings by the United Nations
• Has had albums chart in every decade from the 1950s through the 2010s