I was on my way to completing Part 3 of the series on My Family, when I instead thought I would rather today tell the story of Tony Bennett. About that title, he actually passed away in 2023, but if he lived, he would have turned 100 last month. Was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in New York City in 1926.  Father ailed, so the family grew up in poverty. Began singing at the age of 10, the year his father passed away. At 13 was a singing waiter in Italian restaurants in New York City. Drafted into the army near end of World War II, and spent some time in the European front line he would later described as a front-row seat in hell.  Several times escaped death.  Left the military as a Private First Class. Pearl Bailey and Bob Hope helped Tony get started in 1949, with Hope suggesting a shortened name, Tony Bennett. At the age of 24, signed to Columbia Records in 1950, with Mitch Miller producing and Percy Faith providing the orchestral arrangement, released in 1951 was Bec...