The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Sunday, Mary 23, 2021, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1932 Broadway musical Flying Colors. The same song was used for the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, which starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “A Shine On Your Shoes” in 1993 for his album of songs made famous by his good friend Fred Astaire: Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon arranged the entire. Playing with Sharon on piano are Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

Shine On Your Shoes

Listen to Shine On Your Shoes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1993.

“A Shine On Your Shoes,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s Astaire in his performance of today’s song from the movie The Band Wagon. Astaire insisted on using a real shoeshine man for the number, not an actor. He hit the jackpot with Leroy Daniels who at 23 was an accomplished hoofer. You can read about Mr. Daniels here.

Here are Astaire and Daniels:

Shine On Your Shoes

Fred Astaire and Leroy Daniels."For the "Shine on My Shoes" number, Fred Astaire wanted to dance with the bootblack. They found the real thing in Leroy Danie...

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Tony Live! A Foggy Day

The song of the day for Saturday, September 19, 2020, is “A Foggy Day.”

About This Song

“A Foggy Day” was written by George and Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 movie A Damsel in Distress. The song has been quite popular with many great recordings, including those by Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “A Foggy Day” with The Ralph Sharon Trio on his live performance on MTV Unplugged. In addition to Sharon on piano, the trio consisted of Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

“A Foggy Day,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! It Amazes Me

The song of the day for Saturday, July 25, 2020, is “It Amazes Me.”

About This Song

“It Amazes Me,” written in 1958, is one of the non-theatrical popular songs by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. Liza Minnelli recorded this song when she was only eighteen years old on her first album. It has also been recorded by Bill Evans, George Shearing, and Cleo Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “It Amazes Me” in his 1994 live performance on MTV Unplugged. The Ralph Sharon Trio accompanied Mr. Bennett, with Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

“It Amazes Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, July 11, 2020, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About Today

Tony Live moves to 1994 and one of Tony Bennett’s greatest triumphs: His live appearance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. The performance was a huge hit, for both MTV and Bennett. The concert album MTV Unplugged not only won Bennett the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also the coveted award for Album of the Year.

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTVUnplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Concentrate On You

The song of the day for Friday, June 22, 2018 is “I Concentrate On You.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “I Concentrate On You” in 1940 for the film Broadway Melody of 1940. It’s one of Porter’s best songs, with recordings by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington and Judy Garland among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Concentrate On You” in 1993 for his album of songs sung or danced by Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out. The Ralph Sharon Trio, with Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums, sounds fantastic and the arrangement by Sharon and Bennett is first-rate. This entire album is a real joy.

I Concentrate on You

Listen to I Concentrate on You on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1993.


“I Concentrate On You,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

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