Frank Sinatra
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Dubbed as the Entertainer of the Century, Frank Sinatra over the next eighty years was a singer, actor, director and producer who entertained generation after generation all over the world. He was the most influential pop musicians of the 20th century. Frank has sold over 250 million records worldwide. One of his hit album released was Duets II.
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About
Frank Sinatra or "Francis Albert Sinatra" in real life was born on December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Frank was thought to be stillborn until his grandmother revived him under cold water. His father, "Anthony Martin Sinatra was a fire-fighter for the city of Hoboken and his mother, "Dolly Sinatra" was an amateur singer who often sang at social events. They lived in a mainly Italian American working-class neighborhood. Her mother was disappointed when Frank was born because her mother wanted a girl. In fact, prior to his birth, she had already bought lots of pink clothes. She dressed Frank in those pink outfits, rather than discard them. Frank studied in Demarest High School. He usually participated in all sports. He had a secondhand car at the age of 15.
In the depths of the Depression, after dropping out of high school, he had the ultimate luxury, a job unloading trucks at the Jersey Observer. He first started out riding news trucks, and later was promoted to copy boy. He wanted to be a reporter someday. He attended in a secretarian school and took up Journalism class, studying English, typing and shorthand. Afterwards, the editor of the newspaper he worked with made Frank a cub sports reporter. He covered various school games.
Frank became a fan of Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday. In 1935, while dating "Nancy Barbato", he heard Bing sing one night. Frank told Nancy that the would love to be a singer someday. Bing's voice would be his role model for tone and phrasing styles in his own singing later on. To look if the people will be interested if they heard him sing, Frank performed in some neighborhood theater amateur shows.
In 1935 Frank entered a radio talent program called Major Bowes Amateur Hour. For the performance Frank partnered up with a singing and dancing trio called the Three Flashes and formed the Hoboken Four. They won first prize and went on to more performances with Major Bowes' traveling show. Meanwhile, the struggling young vocalist married his long-time girlfriend, Nancy Barbato, in February of 1939.
The quartet did not last long, but Frank sang "Night and Day" on a radio amateur show and was given a job as a singing waiter at a roadhouse. Harry James heard Frank sing at The Rustic Cabin in 1939 and signed him to a two-year contract and joined the Harry James band in 1939. The same year he cut his first record on which he sang "From the Bottom of My Heart" and "Melancholy Mood".
After touring with the group for less than six months and performing with them on the minor single "All or Nothing at All," Frank joined Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, causing his career to skyrocket. Tommy's orchestra was one of the most popular in the land. Frank rose to fame as a singer. His vast appeal to the "bobby soxers", as teenage girls were called, revealed a whole new audience for popular music, which had appealed mainly to adults up to that time.
With Tommy's orchestra, Frank made more than 80 recordings between 1940 and 1942. Among them were "I'll Never Smile Again," "Street of Dreams," "There Are Such Things," "Stardust, "Let's Get Away From It All," and "This Love of Mine." Frank also made two movies with Tommy entitled "Las Vagas Night" under Paramount and "Ship Ahoy" under MGM.
Frank was also drafted by the Army, but due to an old ear injury he was given an exemption from service.
By the end of 1942, Frank decided to pursue a solo career, agreeing to pay Tommy third of his future earnings and another 10 percent to Tommy's manager, Leonard Vannerson.
He later signed with Columbia Records as a solo artist with some success, particularly during the musicians' recording strikes. Frank became a prolific artist, recording several times a year and releasing a single nearly every month during the mid-'40s. In May 1941, Sinatra was at the top of the male singer polls in the Billboard and Downbeat magazines
He became a featured vocalist on radio on "Your Hit Parade," starred in his own radio series, and got his first feature role in the Hollywood film "High and Higher," all in 1943. Other films followed: Anchors Aweigh, 'Till the Clouds Roll By, Miracle of the Bells, On the Town, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and Step Lively.
His concerts became magnets for screaming teenage girls, the forerunners of modern-day rock groupies, attracting over 25,000 fans for a 1944 New York appearance. Frank Sinatra was known as Ol’ Blue Eyes to his fans. One of the first entertainment superstars the world has known. Frank Sinatra’s songs have a timeless beauty to them. Sinatra’s hit songs include ``Strangers in the Night, ``The Lady is a Tramp, ``New York, New York and ``Chicago. He was the first ever star to have teenage girl fans scream at him in public.
Around November of 1946, Columbia Records estmated that Frank was recording an average of 24 songs per year, enabling them to issue one new Sinatra record a month. He was perhaps America's top performer, selling as many 10 million singles each year and playing packed houses from coast to coast. In that same year, Frank's first album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra was released in his own weekly radio show.
in 1947 Frank recorded a whopping 72 new songs, a personal high mark; he was making almost a million dollars a year at a time when a new car cost around one thousand dollars. By the end of 1948, Frank himself felt that his career was stalling, something that was confirmed when he slipped to No. 4 on Down Beat's annual poll of most popular singers along with, Billie Eckstaine, Frankie Laine, and Bob Crosby.
In was in 1949 when Frank's career was slowly going down and he also had a "rock bottom year". He was fired from his radio show. His New York concerts were flopped. Soon, his personal life was falling apart as fast as his career. He and Nancy were splitting. His affair with Ava Gardner had become an open scandal. Columbia Records wanted him out. In that same year, the Committee on Un-American Activities claimed that Frank had ties to both the Mafia and the Communists. Abandoned by the entertainment industry, Sinatra was ruined and washed up, reduced to borrowing money from Ava Gardner.
After two years of absence in a concert scene, Frank returned to the concert stage on January 12, 1950, in Hartford, Connecticut. However, his career and appeal to new teen audiences decline as he moved into his mid-30s. In 1951, Frank left his first wife Nancy and his three children for movie starlet, Ava Gardner. Their five-year relationship was a precursor to the more modern tabloid headline grabbers of today. In 1952, Sinatra suffered a severe blow to his career when his vocal cords hemorrhaged. At this point in his career the music was painful and the movie roles were poor. Professional abandonment came for Frank at age 37 when he was dropped by Universal, CBS-TV, Columbia Records and his agent.
He then launched a second career as a dramatic actor by playing scrappy Pvt. Angelo Maggio in eve-of-Pearl Harbor drama From Here to Eternity in 1953, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. This role and performance became legendary at the time as the key comeback moment in Frank's career. Within a few months hew was back on his feet, making Guys and Dolls, The Tender Trap, and The Man With The Golden Arm.
He signed a new recording contract with Capitol Records and his singing was better than ever on actual records and in personal appearances. His first three albums for Capitol, Young At Heart, Learnin' The Blues, and The Tender Trap, each went platinum and NBC offered him a multimillion dollar, write-his-own-ticket TV contract. His golden voice was still loved by millions of fans. He was back at the top of the music, movie and even TV world.
He reinvented himself with a series of albums like In the Wee Small Hours in 1953, Swing Easy! in 1954, andSongs For Swingin' Lovers in 1956. The ups and down love affair/marriage with Ava Gardner ended in divorce in 1957. Sinatra the bachelor was back and he pursued such Hollywood sex symbols as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, and Lauren Bacall.
The albums and a string of successful films took Frank into the '60s at the top of his fame and form. He played the Newport Jazz Festival in the '60s, recorded with the Basie and Ellington, and played the Chairman to a colorful Clan that included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis and other chums. Talent was the admission ticket.
He played a major role in the desegregation of Nevada hotels and casinos in the 60's. He led his fellow members of the Rat Pack in refusing to patronize hotels and casinos that denied service to Sammy Davis Jr., an African-American. His son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. was kidnapped in 1963. It was only on the payment of ransom money by his father that he was released.
Sinatra's hits in the 60's includes "It Was a Very Good Year" and "Strangers in the Night" in 1966. He reached the top of the singles charts in a duet, "Somethin' Stupid," with his daughter Nancy in 1967. In 1966, when he was 50, he married actress Mia Farrow, then 21. They separated the following year and were divorced in 1968. In that same year, he released his album, September of My Years.
Frank released his famous recording of "My Way" in 1969. On March 23, 1971 heannounced his retirement from music, eager to spend more time with his family, includingthe three children he had with Nancy. Frank's key moment in shifting from left to right wing politics seem to have come during his retirement years.
The key moment came when the House Crime Committee held a new investigation of Sinatra's mob ties in 1972. The main evidence against him was the testimony of a confessed hit man who said that a New England Mafia boss had boasted that Sinatra was "fronting" for him as part owner to two resort hotels. The committee called Sinatra. The committee counsel later admitted that the evidence was all hearsay.
He was far from finished, however, and in 1973 released the television special and album, Old' Blue Eyes Is Back. He came out of his retirement in 1974 with a renewed interest in older tunes. His return to the limelight was highlighted by his famous recording of "New York, New York" in 1980 as he entered his sixth decade of entertaining.He also appeared in the urban crime drama The First Deadly Sin.
In 1976 he married yet again, this time to Barbara Marx, the widow of ZeppoMarx of the Marx Brothers. In 1988 Sinatra launched a hugely successful Rat Pack reunion tour with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin but when Dean pulled out due to the strenuous schedule, Liza Minnelli provided a very qualified replacement.
In 1993 Sinatra brought new attention to his career by recording a chart-toppingduet album with singers such as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin and Bono from U2. In 1993 and 1994 he released two albums called Duets I and Duets II which comprised his songs with other artists over the years. These turned out to be his highest ever selling albums. He even went on to the win the Grammy for Duets II.
By 1994 Sinatra was experiencing memory lapses, but that did not keep him from performing publicly. He merely added the use of a prompter to remind him of the lyrics. In the '90s his stubbornness paid off. The youth icons of the '60s and '70s finally came to him to sing his song on his terms. Duets may have received mixed critical reaction, but once again Frank was king of the hill, scoring the largest album sales of his career.
In 1995, To mark Sinatra's 80th birthday, the Empire State Building glowed blue. A star-studded birthday tribute at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles would be his last televised appearance. Frank Sinatra passed away as a result of a heart attack on May 14, 1998 at the age of 82.
Many people overlook the generosity of Frank Sinatra throughout his life. He was a favorite of the media due to his alleged mob ties and the focus usually centered on what he did wrong instead of the many things he did right. He regretted not being physically able to serve his country but he gave back and served in his own way. He lived a full life that many people admire, whether fans of his music or not.
Frank Sinatra’s children have all done work that keeps their illustrious father’s legacy intact. His daughter Nancy Sinatra was an actress and she wrote two books about Frank. His son Frank Sinatra Jr, was the conductor in his father’s orchestra. Frank Sinatra’s youngest daughter, Christina Sinatra produced a mini series on the life of her father.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1957 | Laurel Award | Top Male Musical Performance for "Pal Joey" |
| 1958 | Laurel Award | Top Male Dramatic Performance |
| 1958 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1958 | Grammy Awards | Best Album Package |
| 1959 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1960 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1960 | Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Come Dance With Me" |
| 1960 | Grammy Awards | Album of The Year for "Come Dance With Me" |
| 1960 | Laurel Award | Top Male Musical Performance for "Can-Can" |
| 1961 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1962 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1963 | Playboy Awards | Jazz All-Star Poll Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1965 | Grammy Awards | Bing Crosby Lifetime Achievement |
| 1965 | Peabody Awards | George Foster Award for "A Man And His Music" |
| 1966 | Grammy Awards | Album of The Year for "September of My Years" |
| 1966 | Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "September of My Years" |
| 1967 | Grammy Awards | Album of The Year for "A Man And His Music" |
| 1967 | Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Strangers in The Night" |
| 1967 | Grammy Awards | Record of The Year for "Strangers in The Night" |
| 1979 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Trustees Award |
| 1982 | Grammy Awards | Best Historical Album for "The Dorsey/Sinatra Sessions Vol. 1, 2 & 3" |
| 1994 | Grammy Awards | Legend Award |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for "Duets II" |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Pop Albums Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 1 | In The Wee Small Hours |
| 1955 | 2 | Our Town |
| 1956 | 2 | Songs For Swingin Lovers |
| 1957 | 5 | Close To You |
| 1957 | 2 | Pal Joey |
| 1957 | 2 | A Swingin Affair! |
| 1959 | 2 | Come Dance With Me |
| 1960 | 3 | Can-Can |
| 1960 | 1 | Nice 'N' Easy |
| 1961 | 8 | Come Swing With Me |
| 1961 | 4 | Ring A Ding Dong |
| 1966 | 1 | Strangers in The Night |
News
Tours & Concerts
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
For complete list of discography checked it out at Frank Sinatra Discography.
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- Each year on Frank's birthday, (December 12), the Empire State Building lights up with blue lights in reference to Sinatra's nickname, "Ol' Blue Eyes".
- He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Winner of special Academy Award for The House I Live in 1945 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1971.
- In 1997, he was honored by the Motion Picture Academy with a Lifetime Achievement award.
- While filming a kidnapping scene for the film Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), he learned that his son, singer Frank Sinatra Jr., had been kidnapped from his hotel room in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. For obvious reasons, the scene was never used in the completed film.
- Franks's favorite passion is prizefighting.
