NEPA Scene Staff

90-year-old legend Tony Bennett returns to Sands Bethlehem Event Center on May 13

90-year-old legend Tony Bennett returns to Sands Bethlehem Event Center on May 13
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From a press release:

After performing in Bethlehem in 2015, legendary Grammy Award-winning crooner Tony Bennett will return to the Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, which are $79, $89, and $99, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at sandseventcenter.com, the Event Center box office (77 Sands Blvd., Bethlehem), ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 800-745-3000.

Through his dedication to excellence and his insistence on quality, Tony Bennett has become the keeper of the flame by extolling the virtues and values represented by the Great American Songbook. He has been on the front lines of every major issue impacting the cornerstones of this country’s modern history. He has performed for 11 U.S. presidents, is a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and participated in the liberation of a concentration camp, and marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma to support civil rights. Throughout his life, Bennett has been a dedicated pacifist and proactive humanitarian selflessly supporting many causes whose goals benefit the lives of millions. His love for his country has earned him the distinction of national treasure, and United Nations has named him a Citizen of the World as one of their foremost ambassadors.

Through his music, Bennett has connected in unprecedented fashion with all generations of audiences. His commitment to humanitarian ideals has bridged our differences by highlighting what we have in common as citizens of the planet. He has fought for the hard issues when others have turned a blind eye and has remained true to the authenticity and creativity of his musical vision. Bennett has achieved the Great American Dream but has never forgotten his own roots and is constantly working toward ensuring that others can achieve their dreams as well. His life story is compelling in the lessons and values that it teaches: dedication, commitment, courage, and compassion.

With millions of records sold worldwide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett has received 19 Grammy Awards – including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his “MTV Unplugged” CD, which introduced this American master to a whole new generation – and the Grammy Lifetime Award. His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950s, including such chart-toppers as “Because of You,” “Rags to Riches,” and a remake of Hank Williams “Cold, Cold Heart.” He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me),” and his signature song,” I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” which garnered him two Grammy Awards.

Bennett is one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and now in the first two decades of the 21st century. He has introduced a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since become standards for pop music. He has toured the world to sold out audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs. Bennett resigned with Columbia Records in 1986 and released the critically acclaimed “The Art of Excellence.” Since his 1991 show-stopping performance at the Grammy Awards of “When Do The Bells Ring for Me” from his “Astoria” album, he has received a string of Grammy Awards for releases including “Steppin’ Out,” “Perfectly Frank,” and “MTV Unplugged.”

In the new millennium, Bennett’s artistry and popularity was higher than ever. In 2006, the year of his 80th birthday, his “Duets: An American Classic” was released. The album – which included performances with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Bono, and others – won three Grammy Awards and went on to be one of the bestselling CDs of the year and his career. Bennett’s first “Duets” album also inspired the Rob Marshall-directed television special “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” which won seven Emmys, making it the most honored program at the 2007 Emmy Awards.

In celebration of his 85th birthday in 2011, the release of Bennett’s highly anticipated “Duets II” featured Bennett performing with a new roster of celebrated artists, including the late Amy Winehouse (her last recording was their duet of “Body and Soul”), Michael Buble, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and many others. “Duets II” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Bennett the only artist at the age of 85 to achieve this in the history of recorded music. He won two Grammys for “Duets II” in the 2012 Grammy ceremony and marked the 50th anniversary of the recording and release of his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

A documentary entitled “The Zen of Bennett,” which was created and conceived by Danny Bennett, Tony’s son and manager, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. At the end of 2012, Bennett also authored his fourth book, the New York Times bestseller “Life Is a Gift,” which highlights his personal philosophies learned throughout his life and career.

His collaborative jazz album with Lady Gaga, released in 2014, “Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, making Bennett, at the age of 88, the oldest artists to have a No. 1 album, breaking his own previously established historical record. “Cheek to Cheek” won a Grammy in the “Best Traditional Pop Vocal” category. His 2015 release, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” won a Grammy for “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.”

The 90-year-old singer became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2005, was named an NEA Jazz Master in January of 2006, a Citizen of the World award from the United Nations, and a Billboard Magazine Century Award in honor of his outstanding contributions to music.