Intro

Tony Bennett, the crooner whose success spanned generations, died Friday. He was 96 years old.

His voice was synonymous with the Great American Songbook, which he continued to bring to new audiences even as the country's musical tastes changed.

NPR's Walter Ray Watson traces the arc of Bennett's life, from his days as a singing waiter in Astoria, New York, to his Billboard-charting hits as a nonagenarian.

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