The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Tony Live! Rags to Riches

The song of the day for Saturday, August 15, 2020, is “Rags to Riches.”

About This Song

“Rags to Riches” was written in 1953 by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. 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 a huge hit for Bennett and earned him a gold record. Thankfully, Bennett grew to enjoy singing the song. Martin Scorcese used the 1953 recording in the opening of Goodfellas, which helped find a new audience for this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Rags to Riches” at his 1994 live performance on MTV Unplugged.

“Rags to Riches,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Rags to Riches

The song of the day for Sunday, February 23, 2020, is “Rags to Riches.”

About This Song

“Rags to Riches” was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross in 1953. 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 a big hit for Bennett and earned him a gold record. Thankfully, Bennett grew to enjoy singing the song. Martin Scorcese used the 1953 recording in the opening of Goodfellas, which helped find a new audience for this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Rags to Riches” at the Washington DC concert in 1962, as captured on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962.

“Rags to Riches,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, 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: Rags to Riches

The song of the day for Friday, August 8, 2014 is “Rags to Riches.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written in 1953 by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Rags to Riches” in March, 1953; it was released as a single that year. It spent eight weeks as the number one song on the Billboard charts and became a gold record. It was arranged by Percy Faith. Elvis Presley recorded this song in 1971.

This is the version that Martin Scorsese used in the opening of his film Goodfellas.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4BH8EuPAxeFAh1rSWtnGdD
“Rags to Riches,” as well as the other songs on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 2, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Rags To Riches

The song of the day for Saturday, February 8, 2014 is “Rags To Riches.”

About This Song

“Rags To Riches” was composed in 1953 by Richard Adler with lyrics by Jerry Ross. Tony Bennett recorded the song first in 1953; it was also recorded that same year by David Whitefield and Lee Howard. Elvis Presley recorded it 1971; he sang live in concert in 1977 accompanying himself on piano. The song found new fans when Martin Scorsese used the song at the opening of his 1990 film Goodfellas.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded and released “Rags To Riches” as a single in 1953. It was #1 for eight weeks on the Billboard charts and became a gold record. Bennett’s was the first recording of “Rags To Riches.”

http://open.spotify.com/track/4BH8EuPAxeFAh1rSWtnGdD
“Rags To Riches,” as well as the collected songs on The Columbia Singles, Volume 2, is available from iTunes.

Here’s Tony Bennett singing “Rags To Riches” in concert. The date is unknown, but I suspect it’s from the early 1980s, as Ralph Sharon is on piano and Joe LaBarbera is on drums.

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