The Good Life: The Autobiography Of Tony Bennett

by Tony Bennett

The renowned recording artist shares a half-century of personal memories, from his childhood in Depression-era Queens, to the New York jazz scene of the 1940s, to his successes with a new generation of fans in the 1990s

Genres: Music, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Anthony Dominick "Tony" Benedetto , better known by his stage name Tony Bennett, was an American singer of traditional pop standards, show tunes, and jazz. He was also a painter, having created works under the name Anthony Benedetto that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He was the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Be...


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

for the English academic please go to:
Tony Bennett

Reviews

[Kaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The good life" has taught me so much about the amazing singer tony Bennett & how he's experienced a little bit of everything & will continue too. I would recommend this book to anyone who's a fan or wants to learn about not only an amazing artist but person. I appreciate tony more & his music. This will definitely be a book I reread in the future & continue loving !!!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could listen to Tony Bennett talk about gum disease, he's so pleasant. This autobiography narrates a more detailed history than "The Zen of Bennett," flush with stories, plus a discography and an index. I'd recommend this one for loyal fans of Mr. Bennett or jazz standards, and "Zen" first for anyone else. The central themes are that even very talented people appreciate (crave?) affirmation from their peers, entertainers have cool stories, and there's no substitute for your own vision. Build your dreams line by line, uniquely, as only you can. It's just part of life to deal with dummies like the record label executives in this book. Change what you can, tolerate what you can't, but above all hold to that vision! As Stravinsky said, "Art is nothing more than placing limits and working against them rigorously." Tony Bennett's life is a work of art.

[Bob Schnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony Bennett definitely led "The Good Life." From growing up part of an immigrant family living in a Little Italy tenement to headlining Carnegie Hall, he has seen and done most everything a popular music singer could do. He is very appreciative of his family, friends and associates who helped him along the way, almost too much so. The book often feels like an endless award speech, thanking everyone he can remember. However, the stories of working with those people and the struggles he faced make up for the checklists of songs, albums and collaborators. The book did make me want to check out some of his catalog that isn't as well-known as his hits. If you are interested in Tony Bennett, this is a good place to start.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Tony Bennett. I have for years. I have a number of his CDs and listen to them at various times. I've always wanted to know more about him, so I was happy to find this book. And it's not too bad. It's well written -- I assume the co-author did that -- and it tells some interesting stories, but the reason I'm giving it four stars rather than five is twofold: 1) Tony name drops a lot in this book. It's like he wants us to be really impressed with the famous people he hung out with or even were impressed with him. 2) I didn't feel like I learned enough about Tony's personal life, and that really stood out for me. We learned about his childhood, but after his career started, the book concentrates almost solely on his career and you barely find out he was married with two boys, then divorced, then married again with a woman he started dating while still married to his first wife, had two girls, then was divorced again. At the very end of the book, he brings his kids into play when they're grownups and tells us what they do now, but nowhere do we get an image of Tony as father or really even as husband. I wonder why that is? Why did he choose to leave such critical information out of an autobiography? It's like he just wanted to talk about his records, his shows, and his paintings, and nothing else. Except for all the famous people he hung out with and who liked him. It almost seemed like he has an inferiority complex that needs to be satisfied by impressing people. It's kind of sad. Nonetheless, I did indeed enjoy hearing his stories about Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles, MTV, Duke Ellington, and others. Made the book an enjoyable read. I don't know if there are other books out there that delve more deeply into Tony's personal life or not. If there are, by all means, read them. But if there aren't, this isn't a bad book to read, and finally, it was personally satisfying to read about Tony's unwillingness to sell out while remaining popular his whole career. Most people can't say that.

[Cathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Tony Bennett, and it was fun to read more about his life and career. This is definitely not a sordid "tell all" kind of biography, thank heavens. Bennett does tell about his marriage problems and divorces (two) and his former struggles with addictions, but he gets into the negative stuff just very lightly. Mostly, he focuses on music, art, and his career, which is fascinating to me. He also is very open with his praise for others' talents and goodness, which is very refreshing. He's a class act!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word LEGEND is used far too often these days but in the case of Tony Bennett it is wholly justified. This book gives some great insight into his extraordinary life and achievements from humble beginnings in Queens (incredibly the home of the great Louis Armstrong too ) to his rise to the status of one of the undisputed all time greats. A really enjoyable read and especially so when you consider that Tony Bennett is not just a great singer, a wonderful painter, a life long campaigner for Civil Rights but most importantly a truly wonderful human being. A LEGEND !

[Quiltyknitwit · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wonderful singer! He shares his vivid memories of his childhood and early career. There are lots of great photos throughout the book. Mostly, though, he skims over situations that probably have unpleasant memories for him, but if he'd included them, we would've understood him better. The anecdotes of interactions with famous actors and singers are the most interesting, like how he went from Anthony Dominick Benedetto to Tony Bennett. Bennett included a few pictures of his favorite paintings - yes, he's also a talented artist! An enjoyable read about an ambitious, gifted man.

[Cindy Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a huge fan of Tony Bennett and have been fortunate to see him perform live. Reading his story in his own words has increased my respect and appreciation for the man and his music even more.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. A pleasant book about a class act guy!

[IAN SPEIGHT · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1998 so obviously nothing about his work with Lady Gaga or Amy Winehouse,Or taking Glastonbury by storm! Nothing much in the book suggests that it won't be read by people who aren't Tony fans or fans of Tony's type of music. Yes there are loads of anecdotes involving some huge stars Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland etc You won't find any kiss and tell stories in the book Because Tony is classy guy. A downside of the book would be a lack of photos. Tony speaks at length of his love of art, He's a celebrated painter too! Sadly not a single photo of his artwork is included, That's a shame. The book highlight for me was his transformation in the mid 90s and acceptance by the MTV generation. Tony Bennett certainly has lived the Good Life.

[Elvis2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a partial quote from Judy Garland. "...He was born to take people's troubles away, even if it's only for an hour..." I've been to one of Tony's concerts and his music definitely did just that. Unfortunately, the book didn't take my troubles away at all.

His childhood and WW2 experiences were very interesting but as soon as his career took off my boredom set in. It's a recitation of names, places, record labels, more names, and more places with painfully little substance and no depth. There is also far too much self-congratulating.

Tony was very talented as a singer and artist but I would recommend this book to no one.

[Dan Shonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Bennett had a very interesting life starting with a family that arrived at NYC in its formative years. Tony's journey to stardom as a jazz singer crosses paths with many of the big names of jazz. His behind the scenes look at the music biz will be an eye-opener to some, but simply confirmation of what many readers already have heard from other musicians. Mr. Bennett gives a fairly unvarnished view of his life, which is refreshing. This book won't likely change your life, but it will probably be enjoyable for jazz/music fans.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This autobiography is a pleasant read, but it is pretty surface treatment of a life and career. Lots of names and events and awards, but no real delving into the low points of his life (divorces, drug addiction, near bankruptcy). He is an amazing performer and has had incredible staying power. I just wish that he chose to share more of the hurdles and how he overcame them. That would be an even bigger help and inspiration to those in similar predicaments.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah ok I guess. Appreciate his service.

Italian immigrant. New York. Right place, right time. Made it big.

It was basically a resume of his career.

I was never a massive fan, though he was a good singer.

I'm impressed with his work with Lady Gaga. This book though was befor that time.

Sinatra liked and praised him. Though I wonder - were it not for the fact he was a fellow Italian immigrant, would Sinatra have given him the same credit. ?

Is was an ok read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for a while and finally took the time to read it. Tony Bennett is a giant among American Songbook singers and this book covers his rise to superstar, a lull in his career, and his career reboot which continued until his recent death at age 96. Written by Bennett, it details his Songbook, thoughts on music, and personal chronology. A well written story of one of my favorite artists.

[Steve Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disarming memoir written in Tony's own voice. Though a fan, I wasn't expecting much from the book but it won me over with its candor and sincerity. If you want to know what it's like to be a brilliant multi-generational pop singer eclipsed by only Frank Sinata himself, read The Good Life.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting.

[April]

I read half of it and enjoyed- just didn’t feel like finishing

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by one of my favorite singers. Tony Bennett has lived an extraordinary life and wrote about it all in this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of memoirs and autobios, and this is a really good one. Most interesting fact (to me): He was the inspiration for "The World of Henry Orient," one of my favorite movies. :)