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Tony Bennett: Count Basie
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These 26 episodes presented legends such as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Ethel Merman, Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, andDonald O'Connor among others. Look for a deluxe multi-disc DVD box set from Pioneer Entertainment this Fall of "The Judy Garland Show."
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Bennett's first hit, "Because of You," topped the charts in September 1951, succeeded at number one by his cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." Following another five chart entries over the next two years, he returned to number one in November 1953 with "Rags to Riches." Its follow-up, "Stranger in Paradise" from the Broadway musical Kismet, was another chart-topper, and in 1954 Bennett ... reached the Top Ten with Williams' "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" and "Cinnamon Sinner." The rise of rock & roll in the mid-'50s made it more difficult for Bennett to score big hits, but he continued to place singles in the charts regularly through 1960, and even returned to the Top Ten with "In the Middle of an Island" in 1957. Meanwhile, he was developing a nightclub act that leaned more heavily on standards and was exploring album projects that allowed him to indulge his interest in jazz -- notably 1957's The Beat of My Heart, on which he was accompanied mainly by jazz percussionists, and 1959's In Person! With Count Basie and His Orchestra.
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Bennett followed up by teaming with Count Basie (left) and his well-known orchestra. Tony became the first male pop star to ever sing with Basie's band. In 1958, Roulette released Basie Swings, Bennett Sings, which featured the classics "Chicago" and "Jeepers Creepers."
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