EXCLUSIVE What have you been doing this year? Tony Bennett, who turns 92 in August, has been pretty busy from what I hear. He’s going to save Columbia Records from their year long dry spell.
Back in October 2014, Tony told me he and Lady Gaga already had a planned sequel to their “Cheek to Cheek” hit album. He said it would be all Cole Porter and he wasn’t kidding. On this past May 28th, fans saw Bennett and Gaga go in and out of Electric Lady Land Studios on West 8th St. I can tell you they were putting the finishing touches on that same Cole Porter album.Â
My sources say we’ll hear the second Bennett-Gaga album in 2019, because both artists have other projects that will come first.
Gaga, of course, will hit us with “A Star is Born” in September. She not only stars in it but has a whole album of songs to accompany the movie.
Tony, I’m told, will announce another duets album on his birthday. A Diana Krall duets album of songs by the Gershwins will hit stores in September, right before the Grammy deadline cut off on September 30th. Tony and Diana have sung together on off tracks in the past, but this is a whole concept album, and it’s on Columbia. We need new Tony Bennett albums now more than ever!
So that’s what Tony’s been up to, that and doing concerts all over the world, even at almost 92!