Columnist Joe Delaney: Enduring Bennett returns to Circus Maximus

Joe Delaney

Friday, April 14, 2000 | 9:14 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at Joe@ lasvegassun.com or 259-4066.

Anthony Domenick Benedetto was born in Astoria, Queens, on Aug. 3, 1926 ... As Tony Bennett, he will be appearing through Sunday in the Caesars Palace Circus Maximus, backed by a full orchestral complement, under the direction of longtime piano accompanist, arranger, conductor, selector of songs, and Bennett's good friend, Ralph Sharon.

Bennett as Benedetto is also a dedicated, accomplished artist ... Like his love of music, art was an interest developed in early childhood ... He continues to paint every day, wherever he may be appearing.

One painting, "Salute To Hockney," is on permanent display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio ... "Boy On A Sailboat in Sydney Bay" is part of the New York City National Art Club's permanent collection ... "Tony Bennett: Where a Heart Has Been," a beautifully bound book of his paintings, is published by Rizzoli International.

Bennett's beginnings

The son of a grocer, an Italian-born immigrant, Bennett's interest in art and music was encouraged by his parents ... He worked first as a singing waiter, served in the Army, then auditioned for record producer-recording artist Mitch Miller at Columbia Records, now Sony ... Miller actually recorded Bennett singing his audition song.

The song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was an instant hit in the 1950s, culminating in not one but two signature songs in 1962, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "I Wanna Be Around" ... In 1991 Columbia celebrated Bennett's sale of more than 30 million units for the label.

His son, Danny, who became Bennett's manager, talked his father into appearing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the 1993 MTV Video Awards ... "Tony Bennett Unplugged" became a big hit with the resultant MTV exposure.

Bennett this decade

The New York Times put it this way: "Tony Bennett not only bridged the generation gap, he demolished it" ... His last two albums -- the first, a tribute to the late Billie Holiday, and the second, homage to Duke Ellington -- have won Grammy Awards and have been certified gold ... Previous Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire tribute albums were similarly successful.

It is a great week for singing in Las Vegas when both Bennett and Jack Jones, appearing with Phyllis Diller (Stardust), are in town.

Sunday special

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra are the season's finale for UNLV's Performing Arts Center, Sunday at 7 p.m. in Artemus Ham Hall ... The late trumpeter Al Hirt, also a New Orleanian, gave Marsalis his first horn ... Hirt told me later, "If I had known he was going to be that good, I would have given him a piano or a set of drums, anything but a trumpet."

P.J. Belly Memorial

P.J. Belly and his Texas Thunder made its LV debut at Arizona Charlie's a few years back ... Belly left us suddenly last October at age 50 ... Belly's Texas Thunder and good friends, including John Earl and the Boogey Man Band, the Ruffnecks, the James Quill Smith Band, Straight Jacket, the Jimmy Lee Smith Band, and Big Daddy Cole Band will perform Sunday, 7 p.m. until midnight (Arizona Charlie's).

There will be a $10 donation at the door for a special evening of the blues, a memorial to a fine man and a great performer ... See you there and back here next Thursday.