The Monday After: Repository retirees recall Bennett's 1994 Canton show

Gary Brown
·5 min read
The late Tony Bennett, who recently died at age 96, was photographed by now-retired Repository photographer Scott Heckel and the singer's October 1994 show at Umstattd Hall in Canton, a benefit for the Boy Scouts of America, was reviewed by now-retired entertainment editor Dan Kane. The image showing a crinkled, torn newspaper was pulled from Kane's archives upon learning of Bennett's death.
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A popular crooner familiar who spent many nights in the Akron-Canton-Cleveland area of Ohio is being mourned.

No doubt the songs of Tony Bennett – the popular jazz and pop singer who died July 21 at age 96 – were playing on many area music systems in recent days. And the memories of local listeners who experienced his voice in person at concerts likely had memories flooding back following his passing.

Two retired journalists for The Canton Repository who reviewed one of those concerts – arts and entertainment editor Dan Kane and staff photographer Scott Heckel – recalled the Monday night of Oct. 3, 1994, when Bennett performed "a superb concert" for an enthusiastic crowd at Umstattd Hall. The large audience had gathered at a price of $75 and $100 per ticket to watch Bennett sing at the concert benefitting for the Boy Scouts of America Buckeye Council.

"I remember the concert, in Umstattd Hall, had the vibe of a nightclub performance, and that the audience was captivated, including me," said Kane. "This Canton show happened at a time when Tony, then 68, was experiencing a rebirth in his career that to my knowledge never stopped. I feel so privileged to have been there."

Legendary singer Tony Bennett, who died July 21 at age 96, was a familiar visitor to Northeast Ohio.
Legendary singer Tony Bennett, who died July 21 at age 96, was a familiar visitor to Northeast Ohio.

Bennett played other venues

The Canton concert wasn't Bennett's only visit to Northeast Ohio. The singer had strong personal and professional ties to Ohio, including for a time being married to a Mansfield woman and also obtaining early support of his career from onetime Cleveland comedian and actor Bob Hope.

A news obituary written by Alan Ashworth of the Akron Beacon Journal that was published in The Canton Repository the day after Bennett's death reported that "Bennett was a frequent visitor" to the Akron area, listing appearances at such venues as Blossom Music Center, E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall and Carousel Dinner Theatre.

A decade-old article in The Plain Dealer of Cleveland notes Bennett sang in that city as early as 1951. A search of Repository archives determines that the singer performed at Cleveland's Palace Theatre in 1996 and 2004 and at Playhouse Square in 2014.

And, even the art of Tony Bennett – signed with his real name, Anthony Benedetto – made an appearance in Stark County. Late in the 1990s, the artist and entertainer's "Homage to Hackney," on loan from the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, was displayed in an exhibition of post-World War II paintings at Massillon Museum.

A retrospective of Bennett's art had been offered in a gallery at Butler Institute about the time of his Canton concert in 1994.

Still, memories of Canton-area residents no doubt reach back not to Bennett's paintings, but rather focus on the mental images he fostered with his voice. Those in attendance likely recall Bennett's concert at Umstaddt Hall almost 29 years ago.

The late Tony Bennett, who recently died at age 96, was photographed by now-retired Repository photographer Scott Heckel and the singer's October 1994 show at Umstattd Hall in Canton, a benefit for the Boy Scouts of America, was reviewed by now-retired entertainment editor Dan Kane. The image showing a crinkled newspaper was pulled from Kane's archives upon learning of Bennett's death.

Reviewing the Canton concert

"As I approach the prime of my life, I find I have the time of my life," Bennett said at that Canton concert, as quoted by Kane in his review in the Repository the next day.

Kane's review echoed the singer's claim.

"At 68, Bennett is at the top of his form, a saloon singer par excellence and a masterful interpreter of what he likes to call 'the great American songbook,'" Kane wrote in 1994. "His onstage ease and his flair for understatement give him a feel of timelessness.

"That the man loves to entertain is apparent in his every nuance."

The crowd was large and filled Umstattd Hall to its capacity. Bennett sang standards to those in attendance – "That Old Devil Moon" and "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" were among them – and what Kane referred to as "a lengthy medley of his own hits." Think of "Rags to Riches" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

"Praising Umstattd as 'a great hall,' Bennett demonstrated its fine acoustics," wrote Kane in his review, "by singing a three-song encore – 'Stranger in Paradise,' 'Sunny Side of the Street' and 'Fly Me to the Moon' – with no amplification, his strong voice carrying to the back rows."

Preserving a musical memory

A letter to the editor by Thom Van Dusen of North Canton, published by the Repository following the concert, noted that it was an effort by the late Joseph "Junior" DiPietro and his wife, owners of Papa Bear's restaurant and Skyland Pines golf course, that helped bring Bennett to the area for the Boy Scouts benefit concert.

The Repository photographer Scott Heckel, assigned to the concert, preserved the memory of that appearance in a photograph showing Bennett singing while bassist Douglas Richardson, pianist Ralph Sharon, and drummer David Cameron play along.

"The backing trio performed jazzy and tasteful accompaniment throughout, complementing yet never overpowering the singer," wrote Kane in his review, "and Bennett responded by regularly praising them."

Heckel shared a memory of the night that included his being mistaken as "paparazzi" by a member of Bennett's security team.

"I think he thought I was photographing Tony for the celebrity tabloids," Heckel said.

Nevertheless, Heckel was able to capture Bennett and his three-piece combo on stage, entertaining a grateful crowd. The photograph appeared the next day on the Repository's B-1 "Local" section front.

When Kane posted the portion of that page on which Heckel's photo and the writer's words appeared, Heckel reposted the memory. The page was wrinkled and the memory had faded a bit, admitted the photographer.

"I knew the concert was a long time ago," he said, "but I didn't think it was that long ago!"

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: The Monday After: Repository retirees recall Bennett's 1994 Canton show