On June 20, the U.S. Library of Congress announced that Tony Bennett is the winner of this year's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Tony will accept the prize in Washington, D.C., in November. Congratulations, Tony! In celebration, I've drilled down deep into the YouTube vaults for rare video clips of the American Songbook singer:
Here's Tony recording The Trolley Song for his Movie Song Album in 1966 (Al Cohn arranged; I can pick out Zoot Sims and Al Cohn in the reed section; that's producer Ernie Altschuler with the cigar and Johnny Mandel conducting)...
Here's Tony in 1971 singing The Trolley Song with the London Philharmonic..
Here's Tony on the Tom Jones Show in 1969 singing If I Ruled the World...
Here's Tony singing The Shadow of Your Smile from his Movie Song Album in 1966...
Here's Tony on the Steve Allen Plymouth Show in 1960. Songs covered are Taking a Chance on Love, Solitude and Sing You Sinners (move the time bar to 3:18)...
And here's Tony singing I Am from the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas on the Nat King Cole Show in 1957...
