An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Monday, July 27, 2026, is “Georgia Rose.”
“Georgia Rose” was composed by Harry Rosenthal, with lyrics by Alex Sullivan and Irving Kaufman, for the 1921 musical revue Put and Take.
Tony Bennett recorded “Georgia Rose” on June 11, 1966, for his album A Time For Love. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement.
“Georgia Rose,” as well as A Time For Love, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Sunday, July 26, 2026, is “Rules of the Road.”
“Rules of the Road” was written in 1960 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While the song is strongly associated with Tony Bennett, other fine recordings in those by Nat ‘King’ Cole, Lena Horne, and Shirley Horn.
Toby Bennett recorded “Rules of the Road” on April 6, 1961, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns. It was released on the 1962 album I Left My Heart in San Francisco.
“Rules of the Road,” as well as I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is available on Apple Music.
Lena Horne, a good friend of Tony Bennett, recorded “Rules of the Road” in 1962 for her album Lena On The Blue Side.
The song of the day for Saturday, July 18, 2026, is “This Is All I Ask.”
Gordon Jenkins wrote “This Is All I Ask” in 1958. Jenkins was a prolific composer, arranger and conductor from the 1930s through the 1960s. He worked closely with artists including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland and won a Grammy Award for Sinatra’s 1965 album September of My Years, which included a recording of “This Is All I Ask.” Jenkins is said to have considered this song his favorite of all the songs he wrote.
Tony Bennett recorded “This Is All I Ask” on April 26, 1963, for his album This Is All I Ask. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement.
“This Is All I Ask” as well as This Is All I Ask, is available on Apple Music.
I found this video of Tony Bennett singing “This Is All I Ask” from 2000. It seems to have been shot by an audience member, so it’s not professional. But the audio is very good and the close-ups of him singing made me cry.
The song of the day for Tuesday, June 30, 2026, is “Close Your Eyes.”
“Close Your Eyes” was written in 1933 by Bernice Petkere. Petkere was named by Irving Berlin as the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.
Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Close Your Eyes” on April 5, 1961, for the album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangements and conducted the entire album.
“Close Your Eyes,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Friday, June 26, 2026, is “True Blue Lou.”
“True Blue Lou” was written by Richard Whiting, with lyrics by Sam Coslow and Leo Robin, for the 1929 musical film The Dance of Life, an adaptation of the Broadway play Burlesque. The song was sung in the film by Hal Skelly, in the role of an out-of-work burlesque comedian. “True Blue Lou” was a standard song for Ethel Waters, who sang it throughout her career. In addition to Tony Bennett’s recording, Frank Sinatra also recorded it in the 1950s.
Tony Bennett recorded “True Blue Lou” on April 24, 1963, for his album This Is All I Ask, which was released 62 years ago today on July 23, 1963. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted The Ralph Sharon Trio.
“True Blue Lou,” as well as This is All I Ask, is available on Apple Music.
I was able to find this video of Hall Skelly singing “True Blue Lou” from the 1929 film The Dance of Life.