Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but thanks to a Winnipeg fan who became a friend, he left some of his art in Winnipeg.

Just hours after learning about Bennett’s death Friday at the age of 97, local lawyer Ian Restall was reminiscing about his love of the legendary crooner’s music, talent and charisma in concert, his artwork and character.

Restall said during his many meetings with Bennett since they were introduced to each other after a Winnipeg show in 1983, some of which were over a glass of wine, their conversations were never about music.

“It was always about his art,” Restall said of the works Bennett signed with his family name, Benedetto. “He was far more interested in what I thought of his paintings and why I bought them and what I thought of them than what I said about his music.

“He had a list of all of the paintings I own; I don’t even know how he had this list. He would ask why I was interested in this one or that one. I told him I liked his use of light through colour. I’m always amazed how he did it.”

The 64-year-old Restall flew around the world to see Bennett perform almost 70 times. The first was at the Centennial Concert Hall in 1973.

“People say you should never meet your heroes, but Tony was just a very fine human being,” he said. “It always lifted my heart when he spoke. I was introduced to him through my father, who was a big fan, and my older brother. I’ve heard his music for as long as I can remember. I have most of his albums and I’m up to seven paintings now.”

At the end of his next Winnipeg concert in 1983 — just after then-mayor Bill Norrie presented Bennett with a key to the city and proclaimed him an honorary citizen — Restall said he and his brother approached Bennett and Norrie and the mayor introduced them to Bennett.

It became the first of many meetings through the years between the Winnipeg lawyer and the New York City-based singer. He saw Bennett again after most of the shows he attended, including one at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, and another at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Bennett’s first Winnipeg performance was at the concert hall on March 19, 1969. He returned for shows in 1973, 1983, 1985, 1999, 2009 and 2012.

“Tony Bennett took Winnipeg by storm and won the hearts of 4,000 Winnipeggers,” read a review written by Peter Crossley in the Free Press after the latter of Bennett’s back-to-back afternoon and evening shows in 1973. “It is an evening they will long remember.”

Almost four decades later on Oct. 13, 2009, Free Press reviewer Rob Williams said, “With most songs under three minutes, Bennett performed 24 in 85 minutes, and no matter what he was singing he made it appear effortless with his smooth tenor and wonderful phrasing.”

Restall vividly remembers Bennett’s final show here, and what happened afterwards. He had purchased the three front rows of seats for family and friends, and had his wife and another relative present the singer with bouquets of roses at the end, and then hosted a secret after-show party for Bennett at a local restaurant.

“It was just a magnificent evening,” he said. “It was one of those perfect Winnipeg August evenings…. There were maybe 120 people there; it was just a terrific event.

“And Tony’s drummer, Harold Jones, said it was the first after-party Tony went to since 1968.”

Restall said Bennett loved coming to Winnipeg and he loved the venue he always sang at.

“He loved the concert hall — he thought the acoustics were terrific. He told me that.”

In the latter Bennett performances Restall attended but before his diagnosis became public, he could tell something had changed.

“I saw him in 2019 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, and then a few months later at the Orpheum in Minneapolis and then COVID hit,” he said.

“I could tell he was a bit off. He was diagnosed (with dementia) in 2016, but it was not announced until 2021. But I could tell he was slightly off. He did not have conversations with the audience between songs like he always did.”

Restall said the world has lost more than just a singer who racked up hits and awards over his remarkable eight-decade career.

“He was a mentor to many, both in music and in life,” Restall said.

“We have lost a great man. I think Tony demonstrated how someone should be. He was a real example of how you should conduct yourself. You should be generous in thought and time.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

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Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press.

Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.

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