Tony Bennett, a legendary figure in the realm of music, is renowned for his timeless voice, unparalleled talent, and remarkable longevity in the industry. Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Queens, New York, Bennett’s career spans over seven decades, marked by countless accolades and achievements. He has left an indelible mark on the world of jazz, pop, and standards, captivating audiences with his smooth vocals and charismatic stage presence.
With a career that has endured the test of time, Tony Bennett has become a symbol of excellence in music, earning multiple Grammy Awards and widespread acclaim for his contributions to the art form. His interpretations of classics like I Left My Heart in San Francisco and The Way You Look Tonight have become iconic, solidifying his status as a true master of his craft. Beyond his musical prowess, Bennett is also known for his philanthropy and dedication to humanitarian causes, further endearing him to fans around the globe.
Below, you’ll find a collection of insightful and inspiring Tony Bennett quotes that encapsulate his wisdom, passion, and love for music. Whether you seek motivation, reflection, or simply a touch of elegance, these quotes are sure to resonate. Feel free to copy them, pair them with images, or adorn them with stylish fonts to add a touch of Tony Bennett’s timeless charm to your day.
When you get older, you don’t have to eat a lot. I get my rest and sleep very well at night. It keeps me very balanced. Tony Bennett
Lady Gaga is the Picasso of the entertainment world. She’s very intelligent. Tony Bennett
The United States created the best popular songs that were ever written, and from the 1920s to the 1940s, it was a renaissance period. It stopped in 1950. Tony Bennett
If something is good, it’s always good. You don’t have to change it. Tony Bennett
The whole music world is based on the young, the very young people. Tony Bennett
I still have a lot to learn. I’m concentrating on learning a lot more about music. Tony Bennett
I had the greatest time of my life in England for a couple of years, and Robert Farnon made some of the best music I’ve ever been around. Tony Bennett
I loved Art Tatum! And, through him, and other different jazz musicians, I actually found my technique. Tony Bennett
It sounds so simple, but if you just be yourself, you’re different than anyone else. Tony Bennett
I know the history of the record business so well because I followed Billie Holiday into the record studios. It was so primitive compared to the sophisticated business today. Tony Bennett
The singers who are the most honest are the ones who become immortalized. Tony Bennett
Never treat the audience disrespectfully. Tony Bennett
I respected Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Those were my heroes, and they were 10 years older than I was. Tony Bennett
When Sinatra said, ‘For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer I’ve ever heard,’ it changed my career completely. He was my best friend, and I was his best friend… but I was never part of the Rat Pack. Tony Bennett
Performers should really go to the best schools, like Lady Gaga, you know, she went to NYU and had great teachers… It’s best to really study your technique as much as you possibly can so you can have a long career instead of a quick one that’s a failure. Tony Bennett
I’ve been very fortunate. I’m doing what I love, and I’m getting away with it, you know? Tony Bennett
I don’t sing operatically, and I sing very intimately, but I still do the scales, and I think in terms of intonation and making sure that I’m hitting the notes right on the head… and having it appear quite effortless. Tony Bennett
Presley is country music, white music. Jazz is black music – it was invented by the blacks in New Orleans. And I’m really a jazz singer. I was impressed with Elvis – he was the handsomest guy I ever met in my life, and a very nice person, too. But the music doesn’t impress me. Tony Bennett
Johnny Mercer started Capitol Records, and he brought in Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole. He just let them sing whatever they wanted, and it became the best record company in America. Tony Bennett
Gaga is a gorgeous singer, and when she sings a great ballad, I get goose bumps. Tony Bennett
It’s a great thing that the United States has given the rest of the world – no other country has given such great popular music to the Far East and Europe. When I play those great countries, a lot of times, the audience starts singing the songs with me. They know them. They love them. Tony Bennett
The young people look great on television. They’re youthful and have a lot of zip and energy, but when you see them live, they can only do about 20 minutes because they haven’t got the training to hold an audience for an hour and a half or so. Tony Bennett
I’ll never retire. Tony Bennett
Sinatra invited me once to his birthday party in L.A. I was young, and I felt great about it. But when I got there, the Rat Pack were all in the kitchen laughing their heads off. Tony Bennett
I’ve never worked a day in my life. Tony Bennett
Mercer was very clever. He knew the way Southerners spoke and put that into his lyrics. But in that whole era, you had the best. Harold Arlen was just fantastic. Cole Porter was better than anybody, and Gershwin was Gershwin, y’know. Johnny Mercer started Capitol Records, and he brought in Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole. Tony Bennett
Singing is a gift. Tony Bennett
No matter what age you are, there’s a lot of room for learning. Tony Bennett
I loved my mom so much because she had to work on a penny just to put food on the table… During the Depression in the United States, everybody had a tough time. And I was so hurt because she was crying that she didn’t have any food for us for Thanksgiving. Tony Bennett
The high point for me in my career was when Sinatra called me his favourite performer in the Fifties. And I’ve been sold out ever since. Tony Bennett
I grew up in an era where the record companies just sold records to everybody, and the whole family bought songs. Tony Bennett
My whole life has been singing and painting. I just do those two things. Tony Bennett
I get up, and boy, I can’t wait to paint and study music and keep learning. I just love it. Tony Bennett
Every show is different. The public has always been nice to me. I’m fortunate that way. Tony Bennett
When the uncreative tell the creative what to do, it stops being art. Tony Bennett
Singing intimately is almost like thinking into a microphone, so it helps to have the song buried inside you. Tony Bennett
I still insist that American performers are the best performers in the world. Tony Bennett
I was possessed with a wonderful example of my Italian American family. They would come over and join us every Sunday, all my aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces, and I would sing for them. Tony Bennett
I’ll call it a day when I die. It’s a wonderful occupation for me. I’ve never worked a day in my life. Tony Bennett
I was taught never to compromise: to never sing a cheap song. I never look down at the audience and think that they are ignorant or think that I’m more intelligent than they are. To think otherwise is totally incorrect and runs contrary to everything I was raised to believe. Tony Bennett
In America, at the beginning of talkies, they pulled Fred Astaire from the theaters and put him on the screen and had all of these great composers write songs for him. They call it the Great American Songbook; I call it the Fred Astaire Songbook because they were written for him. Tony Bennett
I still feel that I can get better somehow. And I search for it all of the time. Tony Bennett
I want to try to prove that at 100, I could sing as well as I was singing when I was 45 or 43. I’d like to prove that if you take care of yourself, you can actually not regret the fact that you’ve become an old-timer, but you can just still improve and actually get better. Tony Bennett
I still get a little nervous before performing. You don’t want to forget a lyric; you don’t want to make a mistake. I still get butterflies. You can try to judge an audience, but you can only really judge things by the applause. Tony Bennett
I lived for 15 years in Los Angeles, and I still can’t believe that the handsomest man in the world, Cary Grant, and the greatest performer in the world, Fred Astaire, and Johnny Carson, one after another – they were all in my home at different times. I celebrated my 50th birthday with them. Unforgettable. Tony Bennett
For many years, I’ve always been attached to what they call the Great American Songbook, and Kern was a great leader of that because he had the classical training of Europe. He impressed all the greatest composers, like Cole Porter and Gershwin. They couldn’t believe he was writing the songs he was writing. Tony Bennett
I have a simple life. I mean, you just give me a drum roll, they announce my name, and I come out and sing. In my job I have a contract that says I’m a singer. So I sing. Tony Bennett
Nobody has communicated with the public more than Lady Gaga. Ever. I trust the audience, and I’m very impressed. As far as they’re concerned, she’s part of their family. The only guy who ever did that was Bing Crosby, years ago. Tony Bennett
I’ve been so fortunate because I never really had ups and downs as far as my career. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’ve been sold out all over the world. Tony Bennett
To me, life is a gift, and it’s a blessing to just be alive. And each person should learn what a gift it is to be alive no matter how tough things get. Tony Bennett
Every week, as an 11-year-old kid, I would tune in to what was really the first American Idol-type program, a radio show called ‘Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour.’ The winning group on the evening of September 8, 1935, was called the Hoboken Four, and their spokesman was Frank Sinatra, then aged 19. Tony Bennett
To work is to feel alive. Tony Bennett
I grew up in an era where the record companies just sold records to everybody, and the whole family bought songs. Today, record companies are failing because they are putting their accent just on the young, and I think that’s rather silly. Tony Bennett
I want to try to prove that at 100, I could sing as well as I was singing when I was 45 or 43. Tony Bennett
More than anybody else I’d like to thank Count Basie for teaching me how to perform. Tony Bennett
I study nature, and I realize that no matter how much you learn, you can’t top nature. Tony Bennett
If music sounds dated, it means it wasn’t very good in the first place. Tony Bennett
I think one of the reasons I’m popular again is because I’m wearing a tie. You have to be different. Tony Bennett
I’d like to prove that if you take care of yourself, you can actually not regret the fact that you’ve become an old-timer, but you can just still improve and actually get better. Tony Bennett
As a young boy, I did a lot of foolish things. I made a lot of mistakes. And you live and learn. Tony Bennett
I have grown to appreciate the power of believing in myself and of always having faith in myself. I rarely look back; instead, I always look forward. There is so much of life that we miss when we wallow in regret. Tony Bennett
Every day feels like just starting out because I still have so much more to learn. Tony Bennett
When you hear a great two-track of a performance in Carnegie Hall, let’s say, it sounds like you’re right there at that moment. It’s true to reality. And the closer it gets, once it gets too technical, it becomes very tinny to hear notes. It doesn’t sound right. It has to be natural. Tony Bennett
My whole premise has been, right from the beginning, that it would take me a lifetime to learn to explain myself as an artist. As you grow older, you learn what to do and what to leave out. You kind of simplify your work and get the same thing done with fewer strokes. It’s pretty interesting to me. Tony Bennett
Fame comes and goes. Longevity is the thing to aim for. Tony Bennett
I love entertaining people; I strive to make them feel good, and they make me feel wonderful. To explain it simply, I like what I do, and my ambition is to get better as I get older. That’s really what I’m all about. Tony Bennett
I take care of myself. I work out three times a week. I have a trainer, and we just work out for an hour. Tony Bennett
