Just Getting Started

by Tony Bennett, Scott Simon

Overview

“For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business, the best exponent of a song. He excites me when I watch him. . . . He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.” — Frank Sinatra

“As breezy and meaningful as one of his trademark songs as readers learn about the man by the company he kept and the heroes he worships. Bennett’s ethereal still lifes and landscape paintings adorn this simple yet profound and gracious homage.”— Booklist

Tony Bennett was one of our most vibrant musicians ever to grace the stage. In his previous book, Life Is a Gift, Tony reflected on the lessons he learned over the years. In Just Getting Started, he pays homage to the remarkable people who inspired those lessons.

In his warm and inviting voice, Tony talks about who and what have enriched his own life, including Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cole Porter, Amy Winehouse, Fred Astaire, Lady Gaga, members of his family, significant places, and more. Just Getting Started chronicles the relationship Tony enjoyed with each one of these legends, entertainers, humanitarians, and loved ones, and reveals how the lessons and values they imparted have invaluably shaped his life.

As enchanting and unforgettable as his music, Just Getting Started is a beautiful compilation of reflections every Bennett fan will treasure, and a perfect introduction for those just getting to know this remarkable star and humanitarian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062476784
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Tony Bennett (1926 – 2023) grew up in Astoria, Queens, during the Great Depression. After serving as an infantryman in World War II, he studied singing and signed with Columbia Records in 1950, releasing his first hit with the label in 1951. Over the course of his career, which spanned more than sixty years, he sold millions of albums that achieved gold and platinum status both in the United States and worldwide, and won twenty Grammy Awards.

Scott Simon is the New York Times bestselling author of Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime. He is one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and from many wars. He is now the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday. With more than four million listeners, it is the most-listened-to news program on National Public Radio. Simon has won Peabody and Emmy Awards for his reporting.

Date of Birth:

August 3, 1926

Place of Birth:

Astoria, Queens, New York, New York

Website:

http://www.exploringthearts.org

Table of Contents

Foreword XI

Introduction 1

1 Anna Suraci Benedetto 5

2 Bob Hope 9

3 Bing Crosby 17

4 Louis Armstrong 23

5 Fiorello La Guardia 29

6 Pyrites 33

7 Count Basie 37

8 Fudy Garland 45

9 San Francisco 51

10 Harold Arlen 57

11 Harry Belafonte 63

12 Martin Luther King, Jr. 69

13 Fred Astaire 77

14 Cary Grant 81

15 Cole Porter 85

16 Nat "King" Cole 91

17 Rosemary Clooney 99

18 Bill Evans 107

19 Jackie Kennedy 113

20 Pablo Picasso 117

21 Sadie Vimmerstedt 121

22 Lena Horne 125

23 Maurice Chevalier 131

24 Frank Sinatra 137

25 Jimmy Durante 147

26 Astoria, Queens, New York 153

27 Abraham Lincoln 163

28 Jack Benny and George Burns 169

29 Sammy Cahn 175

30 Al Jolson 179

31 Duke Ellington 185

32 John Singer Sargent 195

33 Ella Fitzgerald 201

34 Pearl Bailey 207

35 Charlie Chaplin 213

36 Johnny Mercer 221

37 Louis Prima 227

38 Amy Winehouse 233

39 Ralph Sharon 239

40 Lady Gaga 245

41 Susan Benedetto 253

42 Giovanni "John" Benedetto 259

Acknowledgments 267

List of Endpaper Artwork 269

Editorial Reviews

[Just Getting Started] is as breezy and meaningful as one of his trademark songs as readers learn about the man by the company he kept and the heroes he worships. Bennett’s ethereal still lifes and landscape paintings adorn this simple yet profound and gracious homage.

Booklist

Fans of heralded crooner Bennett will revel in this inviting charming book...In these beguiling portraits, Bennett warmly remembers of the deep influences on his life.” — Publishers Weekly

“[Just Getting Started] is as breezy and meaningful as one of his trademark songs as readers learn about the man by the company he kept and the heroes he worships. Bennett’s ethereal still lifes and landscape paintings adorn this simple yet profound and gracious homage.” — Booklist

“In Just Getting Started...the singer takes a look back on his long, successful career and rich life...What comes through in all 42 chapters is the singer’s gratitude...Let’s hope this new generation can learn a lesson from Mr. Bennett’s unflagging class and graciousness. — Wall Street Journal

“He’s the reason that I’m here today, that I’m still making music, that I’m still excited to make music.” — Lady Gaga

“For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business, the best exponent of a song. He excites me when I watch him. . . . He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.” — Frank Sinatra

“If Tony Bennett, who swings wonderfully, can’t send you, there’s a phychiatrist right up the street from you. DIG him.” — Louis Armstrong

“Tony Bennett is one of the greatest. He’s in a class by himself.” — Fred Astaire

“The epitome of what entertainers were put on earth for. Tony was born to take people’s troubles away, even if it’s only for an hour. He loves doing it; he’s a giver.” — Judy Garland

“He’s a big, beautiful man. With all of his greatness, his hat size never needed to be larger than his artistic stature.” — Duke Ellington

From the Publisher

In Just Getting Started...the singer takes a look back on his long, successful career and rich life...What comes through in all 42 chapters is the singer’s gratitude...Let’s hope this new generation can learn a lesson from Mr. Bennett’s unflagging class and graciousness.

Wall Street Journal

In Just Getting Started...the singer takes a look back on his long, successful career and rich life...What comes through in all 42 chapters is the singer’s gratitude...Let’s hope this new generation can learn a lesson from Mr. Bennett’s unflagging class and graciousness.

Wall Street Journal

[Just Getting Started] is as breezy and meaningful as one of his trademark songs as readers learn about the man by the company he kept and the heroes he worships. Bennett’s ethereal still lifes and landscape paintings adorn this simple yet profound and gracious homage.

Booklist

Joe Barrett gives a light touch of New York to his narration of this memoir by singer Tony Bennett, a native New Yorker. Barrett shares his talent for dialect and accent as listeners hear conversations that Bennett recalls with people who helped guide his long and distinguished career. Pearl Bailey gave Bennett his first break, and Bob Hope took him on the road and changed his name. Although Bennett has performed for many years, he remains true to his jazz roots. His international renown continues to this day. As for Barrett, he can count his performance of Bennett’s recollections as a resounding success in a career par excellence. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2016 - AudioFile

2016-10-05
The nonagenarian singer expresses his gratitude to many of the people who have helped him along the way.With the help of NPR host Simon, Bennett presents not so much a memoir as a collection of sweet, uplifting tributes to people ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Lady Gaga as well as places, including Astoria in Queens, New York; the small town of Pyrites in upstate New York; and, of course, San Francisco, where Bennett famously left his heart. Each chapter concludes with a lesson the author has learned or a bit of wisdom gained from the subject of the chapter. Duke Ellington taught him never to worry “about going into or out of style,” and Lena Horne’s resilience made him think, “when life sends you difficulties or misfortunes, don’t get mad or sad—get busy.” From both Fred Astaire, who “used to float past” Bennett’s house on his regular morning walk, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the singer learned the same lesson: trim your work down to its essence. His own chapters are neat and modest. If they don’t tell readers much about Bennett’s inner life, home life, or any turmoil he might have experienced over the decades, they do paint miniportraits of many of the people who helped him on his path. Many of them, as might be expected, are musicians or songwriters, like Amy Winehouse, whose death he laments, and Ella Fitzgerald, whose albums provide a “purely joyful experience.” The author also salutes family members, like his father, who died when Bennett was 10, and painters such as Picasso and John Singer Sargent. The volume is illustrated with small reproductions of many of Bennett’s paintings, which he signs with his birth name, Anthony Benedetto. In the past decade, Bennett has been experiencing a renaissance among listeners. Many of them should be happy to hear how he got to this point.

Kirkus Reviews