The album was released in conjunction with Bennett's 80th birthday the previous month. The songs selected were mostly ones that Bennett had played a major role in introducing into the Great American Songbook .
Unlike some other celebrity duets efforts where performances were recorded separately and then combined by producers, such as Frank Sinatra 's 1993 Duets , Bennett was physically present with each of his partners during recording. The vocals were performed live as the band was playing.
The album debuted at number 3 on The Billboard 200 , selling around 202,000 copies in its first week.[ 4] It spent five consecutive weeks in the top 10 and was certified Gold in less than four weeks. It also reached number one in Canada. The sequel album, Duets II , was released in 2011 in conjunction with Bennett's 85th birthday.
Title Writer(s) Duet partner 1. "Lullaby of Broadway " Al Dubin , Harry Warren Dixie Chicks 3:03 2. "Smile " Charles Chaplin , John Turner , Geoff Parsons Barbra Streisand 4:41 3. "Put On a Happy Face " Charles Strouse , Lee Adams James Taylor 3:15 4. "The Very Thought of You " Ray Noble Paul McCartney 4:01 5. "The Shadow of Your Smile " Johnny Mandel , Paul Francis Webster Juanes 4:34 6. "Rags to Riches " Richard Adler , Jerry Ross Elton John 2:40 7. "The Good Life " Sacha Distel , Jack ReardonBilly Joel 3:20 8. "Cold, Cold Heart " Hank Williams Tim McGraw 3:17 9. "If I Ruled the World " Leslie Bricusse , Cyril Ornadel Celine Dion 2:56 10. "The Best Is Yet to Come " Cy Coleman , Carolyn Leigh Diana Krall 3:39 11. "For Once in My Life " Ron Miller , Orlando MurdenStevie Wonder 3:24 12. "Are You Havin' Any Fun? " Sammy Fain , Jack Yellen Elvis Costello 2:45 13. "Because of You " Arthur Hammerstein , Dudley Wilkinsonk.d. lang 4:04 14. "Just in Time " Betty Comden , Adolph Green , Jule Styne Michael Bublé 2:17 15. "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams " Dubin, Warren Sting 3:23 16. "I Wanna Be Around " Johnny Mercer , Sadie VimmerstedtBono 3:01 17. "Sing, You Sinners " Sam Coslow , W. Franke Harling John Legend 2:18 18. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco " George Cory, Douglass Cross 3:55 19. "How Do You Keep the Music Playing? " Alan Bergman , Marilyn Bergman , Michel Legrand George Michael 5:23 Total length: 65:56
Tony Bennett , guest artists – vocals
Bill Charlap – piano (track 18)
Pinchas Zukerman – violin (track 2)
Pamela Sklar – flute (tracks 5, 11, 13)
Lawrence Feldman – flute (track 3)
Chris Botti – trumpet (track 13)
Paul Langosch – double bass
Gray Sargent – guitar
Harold Jones – drums
Jorge Calandrelli – orchestrator, conductor
Lee Musiker – piano, arranger, musical direction
Phil Ramone – producer
Torrie Zito – conductor, brass arrangement
Diane Lesser – oboe, English horn (tracks 5, 6, 11, 13)
^ Duets: An American Classic at AllMusic
^ Rolling Stone
^ Tony Bennett.com
^ Caulfield, Keith (September 28, 2011). "Tony Bennett, 85, Achieves First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200" . Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2020 .
^ "Australiancharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" . Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Ultratop.be – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Tony Bennett Chart History (Canadian Albums)" . Billboard . Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Tony Bennett" . Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Italiancharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" . Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Charts.nz – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" . Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" . Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Tony Bennett Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF) . ChartsPlus. Retrieved April 9, 2021 .
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006" . Billboard . Retrieved April 9, 2021 .
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007" . Billboard . Retrieved April 9, 2021 .
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF) . Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ "Canadian album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets" . Music Canada . Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold" . Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ "British album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets" . British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ Rosen, Craig (February 11, 2012). "Keeping Score" . Billboard . p. 27.
^ "American album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets" . Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ Graff, Gary (September 12, 2011). "Q&A: Tony Bennett Talks 'Duets II' " . Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2020 .