HOT SPRINGS, Ark., March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — It won’t be Tony Bennett’s “Fly me to the Moon” highlighting a concert at The Vapors Club the evening before the highly anticipated Solar Eclipse. Instead, 2-time ACMA Young Artist of the Year nominee Brooke Martin will perform “I left My Heart in San Francisco” on the stage Bennett first performed the song 63 years ago, in a tribute to Bennett and her family’s ties to him dating back three generations.
It started in the 1940s, when Martin’s great-grandparents lived in Mansfield, Ohio, near Patricia Beech’s family. Beech–Bennett’s first wife–and parents were neighbors with Martin’s great-grandparents, who died before Brooke was born. Brooke’s grandmother also grew up in the neighborhood with personal stories of Bennett, who married Beech in 1952. With the upcoming Vapors concert and a remake performance of Bennett’s hit song that made him famous, Brooke will be the fourth generation to have a Tony Bennett story of her own– but the only one to never meet the legendary late singer.
“I grew up hearing stories from my grandma,” said Martin, a singer-songwriter recording artist in Nashville. “She had specific stories about Tony, his former in-laws, and my great-grandparents. My grandma talked about playing in the sandbox outside, and Bennett and Beech would come build sandcastles with her. She had very vivid memories about how friendly he was, even as a big star.”
Brooke’s mom—Gina Johnson—met Bennett one night using family stories and old photos to gain access to the singer, who died last year at 96. “I grew up hearing the family stories about Bennett and have the photos.” Johnson said she used the photos to meet Bennett 30 years ago. “I took the family photos to Bennett’s concert in Ohio, in the mid-90’s. My boyfriend went with me—and afterward we showed them to a stage manager.” Johnson said what happened next surprised them. “The guy returning saying Tony wanted to see us.” Johnson and the boyfriend went backstage, ate shrimp with Bennett, and reminisced about Mansfield, her mom, and grandparents.
Tony Bennett first sang his signature hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” at the Vapors Night Club in Hot Springs while rehearsing the song for a later appearance in San Francisco. Brooke says she’s excited to sing that song on such a notable stage with all the Bennett history and share family photos with the crowd. “I’ve always been a fan, not just because of family stories, but Tony’s music transcends generations. And to perform his song on that stage will be special.” And in another ironic twist, many attending the concert are visitors from the San Francisco area.
Brooke Martin is a 19-year-old singer songwriter, 2-time ACMA (Arkansas Country Music Association) Young Artist of the Year nominee, and only two-time Glover Award Winner for songwriting. She will perform two shows-April 7 at 5pm & 7pm at Vapors Live, Hot Springs, Arkansas. For tickets visit www.vaporslive.com
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Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/generational-performance-planned-for-total-eclipse-viewers-in-arkansas-302097695.html
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