January 4, 2002 — Multiple Grammy winner Tony Bennett and Billy Joel have received a Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category for "New York State of Mind," the single recorded by Bennett and Joel for Tony's latest album, Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues.

Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues is a blues album featuring Bennett performing duets with Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Kay Starr and Stevie Wonder. The album was released this past November and has been fastest selling album of the singer's career. The "New York State of Mind" single was recorded in June of 2001 and released in time to become eligible for this year's Grammy consideration. The album itself will not be under consideration until the Grammy Awards of 2003.

Tony Bennett, who turned 75 this August, has won ten Grammys, including his Lifetime Achievement Award which he received at last year's Grammy ceremony. The singer was awarded his first two Grammys in 1962 and has received a string of seven Grammys since 1992 in the Traditional Pop category for "Perfectly Frank," "Steppin" Out," "MTV Unplugged" (for which he won both the Traditional Pop and the Album of the Year Grammy Award at the 1995 ceremony at the age of 68), "Here's to the Ladies," "Bennett on Holiday," and "Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot and Cool," respectively. This year's Grammys will be awarded at a ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on February 27th.

Bennett will appear on "The Today Show," in honor of the program's 50th anniversary, on January 14th to perform the song "Because of You," which was a #1 hit for the singer in 1951, some five decades ago.

Bennett will also be honored for his lifelong fight against discrimination when he receives the "Salute to Greatness" Award from the King Center in Atlanta. Bennett marched with Dr. King in Selma in 1965. Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, will present Bennett with his award at a black-tie gala to be held on Sunday, January 20.

The Bravo network will feature an in-depth interview and performance with Tony Bennett on their new "Musicians" series on March 4th. Columbia Legacy is planning reissues of three of Bennett's classic albums, Cloud 7, When Lights Are Low and The Moment of Truth: Live at the Sahara this spring.