1962

You should all know by now that your author loves the music of Tony Bennett–it’s why I started this blog and it’s why I built the interactive discography. Over the years, I’ve listened to all of his recordings many times over and have found many recordings that I adore: from all albums and all the decades of his incredible career.

But one year stands out for me more than any other: 1962. Here’s a quick review of some highlights from 1962:

• The concert at Carnegie Hall
• His live appearance at the request of President Kennedy, along with Dave Brubeck
• The release of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”
• Grammy awards for Record of the Year (“I Left My Heart in San Francisco”) and Best Solo Vocal Performance (Male)
• The release of several albums: Mr. Broadway, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall and what should have been released that year, but was canceled at the last minute: On The Glory Road
• The recording of all of the songs for the album I Wanna Be Around

By any measurement, the year of 1962 for Tony Bennett was absolutely remarkable. For that reason, I’ll be examining the greatness of 1962 for February and March of this year, including songs and albums recorded or released in that year.