The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Cinnamon Sinner

The song of the day for Sunday, July 16, 2017 is “Cinnamon Sinner.”

About This Song

“Cinnamon Sinner” was written in 1954 by Lincoln Chase, an African-American songwriter. He wrote many songs for the singer Shirley Ellis. One of his best-known songs is the “Name Game,” which was always a favorite of mine:

The name game. Shirley! Shirley, Shirley
Bo-ber-ley, bo-na-na fanna
Fo-fer-ley. fee fi mo-mer-ley, Shirley!
Lincoln! Lincoln, Lincoln. bo-bin-coln
Bo-na-na fanna, fo-fin-coln
Fee fi mo-min-coln, Lincoln!

and so on …

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cinnamon Sinner” on May 13, 1954 at the CBS 30th Street Studios. Percy Faith did the arrangement and Mitch Miller was the producer. Bennett’s was the first recording of “Cinnamon Sinner.”

Cinnamon Sinner

Tony Bennett · The Columbia Singles, Vol. 3 · Song · 2011


“Cinnamon Sinner,” as well as all of the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 3, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Please Driver (Once Around the Park Again)

The song of the day for Thursday, July 13, 2017 is “Please Driver (Once Around the Park Again).”

About This Song

Chilton Price wrote “Please Driver (Once Around the Park Again)” in 1953. She was from Kentucky and played violin in the Louisville Orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950, she was working as a music librarian at a local radio station and the opportunity to show Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart some of the songs she had composed. They helped her get started with introductions in the music industry. In addition to “Please Driver,” she is also known for “You Belong To Me,” which was recorded by Dean Martin and Jo Stafford, among others. Born in 1913, Ms. Price passed away in 2010, at the age of 96.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Please Driver (Once Around the Park Again)” on December 4, 1953. It was released as a single in December.

Please Driver (Once Around The Park Again)

Listen to Please Driver (Once Around The Park Again) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Please Driver (Once Around the Park Again),” as well as well as all of the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 3, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Rags To Riches

The song of the day for Monday, July 10, 2017 is “Rags To Riches.”

About This Song

“Rags To Riches” was written in 1953 by songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Rags to Riches” on March 17, 1953, at the CBS 30th Street Studio. The song was produced by Mitch Miller and arranged by Percy Faith.

When Tony Bennett first heard “Rags to Riches,” he hated the song and was forced by Mitch Miller to record it. With a very nice arrangement by Percy Faith, the recording was huge hit for Bennett and earned him a gold record. Thankfully, Bennett grew to enjoy singing the song. Martin Scorsese used the 1953 recording in the opening of Goodfellas, which helped find a new audience for this song.

Rags to Riches

Listen to Rags to Riches on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Rags To Riches,” as well as the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 2, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Cold, Cold Heart

The song of the day for Friday, July 7, 2017 is “Cold, Cold Heart.”

About This Song

“Cold, Cold Heart” was written by Hank Williams in 1951.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cold, Cole Heart” on May 31, 1951. Percy Faith did the arrangement and Mitch Miller was, of course, the producer.

Bennett tells this story in his autobiography The Good Life:

When Mitch first played me Hank Williams’s “Cold, Cold Heart,” I have to admit I didn’t think I should sing it. In those days country artists still used the old-time fiddle, and I told Mitch that I couldn’t do it. He told me just to listen to the words and music, pointing out how beautiful the ending was: “Why can’t I free your doubtful mind/ And melt your cold, cold heart?” He convinced me, and I recorded it. The song started out slowly at first, but it caught on, and it kept climbing the charts until it was number one.

The success of the song resulted in Bennett being a guest star at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. I found this wonderful photo:

June Carter, Tony Bennett, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline

Even though the quality of the photo is very poor, how can anyone resist these four artists singing “I Saw the Light.”

Cold, Cold Heart

Listen to Cold, Cold Heart on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Cold, Cold Heart,” as well as all of the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Because Of You

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 5, 2017 is “Because Of You.”

About This Song

“Because of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein (Oscar’s uncle) and Dudley Wilkinson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Because of You” on April 4, 1951. It was arranged by Percy Faith and produced by Mitch Miller. The song was Bennett’s first major hit.

Tony Bennett relates in his book The Good Life:

By the spring of 1951, I was told that if I didn’t get a hit soon I’d be dropped from the label. I went into Percy’s office and he said, “In this next session you really have to deliver. We have only three songs ready, so we need another song.” I remember that he looked through a bunch of sheet music on his desk, grabbed a song, and said, “Well, let’s do this one.” That song was “Because Of You.”

Because of You

Listen to Because of You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Because Of You,” as well as all of the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

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