Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor. After performing evenings in piano bars and competing in local singing contests, Bocelli signed his first recording contract with Sugar Music. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing "Il mare calmo della sera".
Bocelli in 2019
Bocelli with Celine Dion and Tony Renis in 2002
Bocelli rehearsing for his Under the Desert Sky concert in Lake Las Vegas, 2006
Bocelli with his then fiancée Veronica Berti in Tokyo, Japan, during his 2008 Asian Tour
A piano bar consists of a piano or electronic keyboard played by a professional musician. Piano bars can be located in a cocktail lounge, bar, hotel lobby, office building lobby, restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Usually the pianist receives a small salary plus tips in a jar or basket on or near the piano, especially from patrons requesting a song traditionally written on a beverage napkin. Some piano bars feature a baby grand or grand piano surrounded by stools for patrons. Others have a bar surrounding the piano or keyboard.
Dueling pianos at Tickler's Bar in New Orleans
Martuni's, one of the last piano bars in San Francisco, California.
Two pianists playing at O'Brien's Piano Bar in New Orleans