Solid! -- Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

BIOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY

Perhaps the most important vocalist of the twentieth century, Frank Sinatra is rivalled only by Bing Crosby in his contribution to American popular song. From his early days with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra to his final recordings in the 1990s he remained a vital force in the music world. His smooth voice and uncanny sense of rhythm coupled by his tough-guy personality and deep sense of humor won him the adoration of jazz fans and the general public alike. Nicknamed Ol' Blue Eyes and the Chairman of the Board he is remembered today more for his classic work of the 1950s and 1960s than for his big band days. In his later years Sinatra had the incredible ability to reinterpret the standards in a manner that made them relevant to a whole new generation. He was an original who set the stage for others to come, and his influence will continue to be felt well into the twenty-first century.

Born in 1915 and raised in New Jersey, Sinatra dropped out of high school to pursue a singing career. As part of the Hoboken Four he won a contest in 1935 on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour and went on tour with the show. He then found work as a singing waiter and Master of Ceremonies at the Rustic Cabin nightclub in Englewood, New Jersey, where he received broadcast time. The story goes that vocalist Louise Tobin, the then wife of bandleader Harry James, heard Sinatra sing on the radio one night in 1939 and alerted her husband. James liked his voice and hired him for his new orchestra. A disastrous tour, however, soon left the band in financial trouble and struggling to complete an engagement at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago in January 1940. Dorsey happened to be in town at the same time and was having trouble with his male vocalist. He offered Sinatra a job. With Sinatra's wife expecting and the band's future uncertain James let him go.

Sinatra quickly become Dorsey's star attraction. He remained with Dorsey for more than two-and-a-half years, charting 16 Top Ten hits with the band, including the classic number one ''I'll Never Smile Again.'' With his popularity soaring Sinatra began to consider a solo career. He recorded four songs under his own name in early 1942, with Axel Stordahl conducting. One of those songs, ''Night and Day,'' charted in March. Confident in his chances of success Sinatra resigned from Dorsey in September.

The recording ban instituted by the American Federation of Musicians was in full swing by the time Sinatra emerged as a soloist. Though he was unable to record during the strike he continued to tour and to appear on the radio. His defining moment came during a stint opening for Benny Goodman at the Paramount Theater in New York in January of 1943. Young fans went wild over him. Girls swooned upon hearing his voice, and he was often mobbed by adoring fans. RCA Victor and Columbia capitalized on this phenomenon by issuing previously unreleased Dorsey and James vocal recordings which featured Sinatra on vocals. Sinatra soon signed with Columbia himself and skirted the ban by making several a cappela recordings. He had also begun to make film appearances and was put under contract with MGM. By the time that the recording ban was lifted in late 1944 Sinatra was on top of the world.

Sinatra charted several hits over the next few years and scored big at the box office, but by the late 1940s his career had stagnated. As the 1950s rolled around his popularity was in decline. He continued making films and appearing on the radio, though in lesser roles. He also hosted his own television musical-variety program from 1950 to 1952. By the end of 1952, however, he was off the airwaves completely and without a film or recording contract, having left Columbia after a dispute over material. True to Sinatra's rough-and-tumble image, though, he didn't stay down for long. He tightened his belt and signed a less-than-desired contract with Capitol Records. Soon he was charting hits again. He also took a non-singing role in the motion picture From Here to Eternity and impressed the film establishment so much that he was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He soon was back on radio also, in both a dramatic role, as detective Rocky Fortune, and as a singer. Sinatra was back on top again.

The late 1950s saw the emergence of the legendary ''Rat Pack.'' For seven years Sinatra, singers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., actor Peter Lawford, and comedian Joey Bishop, ran roughshod over Las Vegas, drinking, gambling, fighting, and womanizing to the best of their abilities. It was the Cold War, and Sinatra declared that the group of friends would hold their own ''summit of cool'' in the city. He was their ringleader and perhaps the worst of the bunch, an image that stuck and has since become romanticized. The Rat Pack's antics are still idolized by today's youth as the ultimate in cool.

Sinatra continued recording, making films, and appearing on radio and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In 1960 he formed his own record label, Reprise, though he still was under contract with Capitol until 1962. He was prolific in the studio, often releasing three albums in one year. By the early 1960s the market was oversaturated with Sinatra recordings and sales slacked off. The changing tastes of the America music buying public also began to take their toll. Though Sinatra was still a best-seller he charted less frequently in the late 1960s, finding it hard to compete with modern rock and pop artists. He briefly flirted with the youth market, to some success, but in 1971 gave in and announced his retirement.

Sinatra didn't stay retired for long, however. He returned to the public eye in 1973 with a gold-selling album and a television special. This time around, though, he prudently decided to focus less on recording and more on live performance, especially in Vegas. Several years elapsed between album releases. He stayed out of the studio from 1984 to 1993 when he released Duets, on which he reprised many of his old favorites accompanied by popular modern vocalists. It became his best selling album of all time. In 1994 he followed it up with Duets II.

Sinatra finally decided to retire for good in 1995, at age 80. Fans flocked to see him on his last tour, and though his health was not the best and he often seemed to forget the lyrics he still left everyone breathless with his incredible abilities. When Sinatra passed away in 1998, after suffering a heart attack, the entire world mourned. So rarely has an artist captured the people's imaginations as Sinatra did.

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Frank Sinatra

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Frank Sinatra