Tune Tuesday

On this day in 1994, the great Tony Bennett recorded his MTV Unplugged special. It would be released in June of the same year.

Think about this for a minute. It is 1994. It was the year of dance music like Another Night by Real McCoy. It was the year of rap music like Tootsee Roll by the 69 Boyz and Regulate by Warren G. It was the year of rock like Closer by Oasis and Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

The Unplugged appearance by Tony Bennett consisted of songs from the Great American Songbook. Tony on MTV?? How could this possibly work?! Would the MTV generation even consider watching this old crooner? You bet they did! Unplugged helped introduce some classics to an entirely new audience.

The show itself was like any other Tony Bennett show. It was Tony and a small group. This time he was backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio. The show also included guest appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang. The audience was mesmerized by Tony and the album went platinum. It also won Grammy Awards in 1995 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year!

The set list included It Had to Be You, Fly Me To The Moon, and A Foggy Day. It also featured some of Tony’s big hits. He sang I Left My Heart In San Francisco, Rags to Riches, I Wanna Be Around and Steppin’ Out With My Baby.

For me, the highlight was Tony and k.d. lang singing Moonglow together. The harmony is not an easy one, yet k.d. nails it. She said this about Tony, “He asked me to perform on his MTV Unplugged album in 1994 and the sparks started flying when we sang together. I felt elevated, comfortable and just in sync with him when we were doing Moonglow – as if I was with a teacher but also a friend. It was like an opening. It just felt right.”

As you watch the clip, you can see the mutual love that these two have for each other. Eight years later, the two would get together for an entire album called “A Wonderful World.”

Tony was a legend. His performances were pure magic!