Music
Tony Bennett won't retire: 'I have a desire to get better with age'
Published Thursday, Feb 9 2012, 07:24 GMT | By Jennifer Still | Add comment
Tony Bennett has said that he has no plans to retire any time in the near future.
The 'Body & Soul' singer explained that the passion he developed for music at an early age has stayed with him, adding that it makes him want to continue to improve his craft as he gets older.
"I come from a wonderful Italian-American family," Bennett explained to Parade. "My father died when I was 10 and my family would make a circle around us to help my mum out. She had to raise two sons and a daughter and work during the Depression. She had to work so hard and all of my relatives helped us out.
"Every Sunday, my family would come over and we would entertain them. They would encourage us and they would say, 'Look at how Tony is singing' and 'Look at how he paints', and it really created a passion in me for the rest of my life."
Bennett continued: "I remember very clearly as a young boy saying, 'This is who I am. My family is telling me that I sing well and I paint well, so I'm going to keep doing that'. To this day, I still have a strong desire to get better and better as I get older."
The 85-year-old musician also revealed the secret behind his high-energy stage performances, saying: "I'm blessed with very, very good health. I just love to entertain people and make them feel good. And when they feel good, I just feel very content with my life.
"It excites me to know that I made people happy. That's what I love to do."
Bennett broke several chart records in 2011, becoming the oldest living artist on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Watch Tony Bennett and Lady GaGa's duet of 'The Lady Is a Tramp' below:
The 'Body & Soul' singer explained that the passion he developed for music at an early age has stayed with him, adding that it makes him want to continue to improve his craft as he gets older.
© PA Images / Matt Sayles/AP/Press Association Images
"I come from a wonderful Italian-American family," Bennett explained to Parade. "My father died when I was 10 and my family would make a circle around us to help my mum out. She had to raise two sons and a daughter and work during the Depression. She had to work so hard and all of my relatives helped us out.
"Every Sunday, my family would come over and we would entertain them. They would encourage us and they would say, 'Look at how Tony is singing' and 'Look at how he paints', and it really created a passion in me for the rest of my life."
Bennett continued: "I remember very clearly as a young boy saying, 'This is who I am. My family is telling me that I sing well and I paint well, so I'm going to keep doing that'. To this day, I still have a strong desire to get better and better as I get older."
The 85-year-old musician also revealed the secret behind his high-energy stage performances, saying: "I'm blessed with very, very good health. I just love to entertain people and make them feel good. And when they feel good, I just feel very content with my life.
"It excites me to know that I made people happy. That's what I love to do."
Bennett broke several chart records in 2011, becoming the oldest living artist on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Watch Tony Bennett and Lady GaGa's duet of 'The Lady Is a Tramp' below:
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