Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra(/sɪˈnɑːtrə/; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of themost popular entertainers of the 20th century.Sinatra is among theworld's best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales globally.
Born to Italian immigrants inHoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career in theswing eraand was greatly influenced by the easy-listening vocal style ofBing Crosby.He joined theHarry Jamesbig bandas the vocalist in June 1939 before finding success as a solo artist after signing withColumbia Recordsin 1943, becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers". In 1946, Sinatra released his debut album,The Voice of Frank Sinatra. He then signed withCapitol Recordsand released several albums with  arrangements byNelson Riddle, notablyIn the Wee Small Hours(1955) andSongs for Swingin' Lovers!(1956). In 1960, Sinatra left Capitol Records to start his own record label,Reprise Records, releasing a string of successful albums. He collaborated withCount BasieonSinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First(1962) andIt Might as Well Be Swing(1964). In 1965, he recorded the retrospective albumSeptember of My Yearsand starred in theEmmy-winning television specialFrank Sinatra: A Man and His Music. After releasingSinatra at the Sandsin early 1966, Sinatra recorded one of his most famous collaborations withTom Jobim,Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968'sFrancis A. & Edward K.withDuke Ellington. Sinatra retired in 1971 following the release of "My Way" but came out of retirement two years later. He recorded several albums and released "New York, New York" in 1980.
Sinatra also forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning theAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorforFrom Here to Eternity(1953), he starred inThe Man with the Golden Arm(1955) andThe Manchurian Candidate(1962). Sinatra also appeared in musicals such asOn the Town(1949),Guys and Dolls(1955),High Society(1956), andPal Joey(1957), which won him aGolden Globe Award. Toward the end of his career, he frequently played detectives, including the title character inTony Rome(1967). Sinatra received theGolden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Awardin 1971. On television,The Frank Sinatra Showbegan onCBSin 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1983, Sinatra was honored at theKennedy Center Honors. He was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedomin 1985 and theCongressional Gold Medalin 1997. Sinatra received elevenGrammy Awards, including theGrammy Trustees Award,Grammy Legend Award, and theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award. American music criticRobert Christgaucalled him "the greatest singer of the 20th century"and he continues to be regarded as an iconic figure.
Francis Albert Sinatrawas born on December 12, 1915, in a tenement at 415 Monroe Street inHoboken, New Jersey,the only child ofItalianimmigrantsNatalina "Dolly" GaraventaandAntonino Martino "Marty" Sinatra, whoboxedunder the name Marty O'Brien.Sinatra weighed 13.5 pounds (6.1 kg) at birth and had to bedeliveredwith the aid offorceps, which caused severe scarring to his left cheek, neck, and ear, and perforated his eardrum—which remained damaged for the rest of his life. His grandmother resuscitated him by running her grandson under cold water until he gasped his first breath.Due to his injuries, his baptism at St. Francis Church in Hoboken was delayed until April 2, 1916.A childhood operation on hismastoidbone left major scarring on his neck, and during adolescence he was further scarred bycystic acne.Sinatra was raised in theCatholic Church.
Sinatra's mother was energetic and driven;biographers believe that she was the dominant factor in the development of her son's personality and self-confidence.Sinatra's fourth wifeBarbarawould later claim that Dolly was abusive to him when he was a child, and "knocked him around a lot".Dolly became influential in Hoboken and in localDemocratic Partycircles.She worked as amidwife,and according to Sinatra biographerKitty Kelley, ran an illegal abortion service that catered to Italian Catholic girls, for which she was nicknamed "Hatpin Dolly".She also had a gift for languages and served as a local interpreter.
Sinatra's illiterate father was abantamweightboxerwho later worked at the Hoboken Fire Department, working his way up to captain.Due to his illiteracy, he stressed the importance of a "complete and full" education and had instilled in his son the desire to become a civil engineer and enroll atStevens Institute of Technologyin Hoboken.Sinatra spent much time at his parents' tavern in Hoboken,working on his homework and occasionally singing for spare change.During theGreat Depression, Dolly provided money to her son for outings with friends and to buy expensive clothes, resulting in neighbors describing him as the "best-dressed kid in the neighborhood".Excessively thin and small as a child and young man, Sinatra's skinny frame later became a staple of jokes during stage shows.
At a young age, Sinatra developed an interest in music, particularlybig bandjazzand listened toGene Austin,Rudy Vallée,Russ Colombo, andBob Eberlywhile idolizingBing Crosby.For his 15th birthday, his uncle Domenico gave him aukulele, with which he performed at family gatherings.Sinatra attended David E. Rue Jr. High School from 1928,and A. J. Demarest High School (since renamed asHoboken High School) in 1931, where he arranged bands for school dances,but left without graduating after having attended only 47 days before being expelled for "general rowdiness".
To please his mother, he enrolled at Drake Business School, but departed after 11 months.Dolly found her son work as a delivery boy at theJersey Observernewspaper (since merged intoThe Jersey Journal), where his godfather Frank Garrick worked;he later worked as a riveter at theTietjen and Langshipyard.He began performing in local Hoboken social clubs and sang for free on radio stations such asWAATin Jersey City.In New York, Sinatra found jobs singing for his supper or for cigarettes.To improve his speech, he began takingelocutionlessons for a dollar each from vocal coach John Quinlan, one of the first people to notice his impressive vocal range.
Sinatra began singing professionally as a teenager. Even though he never learned to read music, helearned by ear.He got his first break in 1935 when his mother persuaded a local singing group called the3 Flashesto let him join.BaritoneFred Tamburro stated that "Frank hung around us like we were gods or something", admitting that they only took him on board because he owned a carand could chauffeur the group around. Sinatra soon learned they were auditioning for theMajor Bowes Amateur Hourshow and "begged" the group to let him in on the act.
With Sinatra, the group became known as the "Hoboken Four" and passed an audition fromEdward Bowesto appear on the show. They each earned $12.50,and ended up attracting 40,000 votes to win first prize—a six-month contract to perform on stage and radio across the U.S.Sinatra quickly became the group's lead singer, and, much to the jealousy of his fellow group members, garnered most of the attention from the girls.Due to the success of the group, Bowes kept asking for them to return, disguised under different names, varying from "The Secaucus Cockamamies" to "The Bayonne Bacalas".
In 1938, Sinatra found employment as a singing waiter at aroadhousecalled "The Rustic Cabin" inEnglewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for which he was paid $15 a week.The roadhouse was connected to theWNEWradio station in New York City, and he began performing with a group live during theDance Paradeshow.Despite the low salary, Sinatra felt that this was the break he was looking for, and boasted to friends that he was going to "become so big that no one could ever touch him".In March 1939, saxophone player Frank Mane, who knew Sinatra from Jersey City radio station WAAT, arranged for him to audition and record "Our Love", his first solo studio recording.In June, bandleaderHarry James, who had heard Sinatra sing on "Dance Parade", signed him to a two-year contract of $75 a week after a show at theParamount Theatrein New York.It was with the James band that Sinatra released his first commercial record "From the Bottom of My Heart" in July. No more than 8,000 copies of the record were sold,and further records released with James through 1939, such as "All or Nothing at All", also had weak sales on their initial release.Thanks to his vocal training, Sinatra could now sing two tones higher, and developed a repertoire which included songs such as "My Buddy", "Willow Weep for Me", "It's Funny to Everyone but Me", "Here Comes the Night", "On a Little Street in Singapore", "Ciribiribin", and "Every Day of My Life".
Sinatra became increasingly frustrated with the status of the Harry James band, feeling that he was not achieving the major success and acclaim he was looking for. His pianist and close friendHank Sanicolapersuaded him to stay with the group,but in November 1939 he left James to replace Jack Leonardas the lead singer of theTommy Dorseyband. Sinatra earned $125 a week, appearing at the Palmer House inChicago,and James released Sinatra from his contract.
On January 26, 1940, he made his first public appearance with the band at theCoronado TheatreinRockford, Illinois,opening the show with "Stardust".Dorsey recalled: "You could almost feel the excitement coming up out of the crowds when the kid stood up to sing. Remember, he was nomatinée idol. He was just a skinny kid with big ears. I used to stand there so amazed I'd almost forget to take my own solos".
Dorsey was a major influence on Sinatra and became afather figure. Sinatra copied Dorsey's mannerisms and traits, becoming a demanding perfectionist like him, even adopting his hobby of toy trains. He asked Dorsey to be godfather to his daughterNancyin June 1940.Sinatra later said that "The only two people I've ever been afraid of are my mother and Tommy Dorsey."Though Kelley says that Sinatra and drummerBuddy Richwere bitter rivals,other authors state that they were friends and even roommates when the band was on the road, but professional jealousy surfaced as both men wanted to be considered the star of Dorsey's band. Later, Sinatra helped Rich form his own band with a $25,000 loan and provided financial help to Rich during times of the drummer's serious illness.
In his first year with Dorsey, Sinatra recorded more than forty songs. Sinatra's first vocal hit was the song "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" in late April 1940.Two more chart appearances followed with "Say It" and "Imagination", which was Sinatra's first top-10 hit.His fourth chart appearance (and his first on the first officially publishedBillboardchart)was "I'll Never Smile Again", topping the charts for twelve weeks beginning in mid-July.Other records with Tommy Dorsey issued byRCA Victorinclude "Our Love Affair" and "Stardust" in 1940; "Oh! Look at Me Now", "Dolores", "Everything Happens to Me", and "This Love of Mine" in 1941; "Just as Though You Were There", "Take Me", and "There Are Such Things" in 1942; and "It Started All Over Again", "In the Blue of Evening", and "It's Always You" in 1943.
As his success and popularity grew, Sinatra pushed Dorsey to allow him to record some solo songs. Dorsey eventually relented, and on January 19, 1942, Sinatra recorded "Night and Day", "The Night We Called It a Day", "The Song is You", and "Lamplighter's Serenade" at a Bluebird recording session, withAxel Stordahlas arranger and conductor.Sinatra first heard the recordings at theHollywood PalladiumandHollywood Plazaand was astounded at how good he sounded. Stordahl recalled: "He just couldn't believe his ears. He was so excited you almost believed he had never recorded before. I think this was a turning point in his career. I think he began to see what he might do on his own".
After the 1942 recordings, Sinatra believed he needed to go solo,with an insatiable desire to compete withBing Crosby,but he was hampered by his contract which gave Dorsey 43% of Sinatra's lifetime earnings.A legal battle ensued, eventually settled in August 1942.On September 3, 1942, Dorsey bade farewell to Sinatra, reportedly saying "I hope you fall on your ass",but he was more gracious on the air when replacing Sinatra with singerDick Haymes.
Rumors began spreading in newspapers that Sinatra's mobster godfather,Willie Moretti, coerced Dorsey at gunpoint to let Sinatra out of his contract for a few thousand dollars.Sinatra persuaded Stordahl to come with him and become his personal arranger, offering him $650 a month, five times his salary from Dorsey.Dorsey and Sinatra, who had been very close, never reconciled their differences.
By May 1941, Sinatra topped the male singer polls inBillboardandDownBeatmagazines.His appeal tobobby soxers, as teenage girls of that time were called, revealed a new audience for popular music, which had previously been recorded mainly for adults.The phenomenon became officially known as "Sinatramania" after his "legendary opening" at the Paramount Theatre in New York on December 30, 1942.
According to Nancy Sinatra,Jack Bennylater said, "I thought the goddamned building was going to cave in. I never heard such a commotion... All this for a fellow I never heard of."Sinatra performed for four weeks at the theatre, his act following theBenny Goodmanorchestra, after which his contract was renewed for another four weeks by Bob Weitman due to his popularity. He became known as "Swoonatra" or "The Voice", and his fans "Sinatratics". They organized meetings and sent masses of letters of adoration, and within a few weeks of the show, some 1,000 Sinatra fan clubs had been reported across the US.
Sinatra's publicist, George Evans, encouraged interviews and photographs with fans and was the man responsible for depicting Sinatra as a vulnerable, shy, Italian–American with a rough childhood who made good.When Sinatra returned to the Paramount in October 1944, only 250 persons left the first show, and 35,000 fans left outside caused a near riot, known as the Columbus Day Riot, outside the venue because they were not allowed in.Such was the bobby-soxer devotion to Sinatra that they were known to write Sinatra's song titles on their clothing, bribe hotel maids for an opportunity to touch his bed, and steal clothing he was wearing, most commonly hisbow tie.
Sinatra signed withColumbia Recordsas a solo artist on June 1, 1943, during the1942–44 musicians' strike.Columbia Records re-released Harry James and Sinatra's August 1939 version of "All or Nothing at All",which reached number 2 on June 2 and was on the best-selling list for 18 weeks.He initially had great success,and performed on the radio onYour Hit Paradefrom February 1943 until December 1944,and on stage.
Columbia wanted new recordings of their growing star as quickly as possible, soAlec Wilderwas hired as an arranger andconductorfor several sessions with a vocal group called the Bobby Tucker Singers.Of the nine songs recorded during these sessions, seven charted on the best-selling list.That year he made his first solo nightclub appearance at New York'sRiobamba,and a successful concert in the Wedgewood Room of the prestigiousWaldorf-Astoria New Yorkthat year secured his popularity in New York high society.Sinatra released "You'll Never Know", "Close to You", "Sunday, Monday, or Always" and "People Will Say We're in Love" as singles. By the end of 1943, he was more popular in aDownBeatpoll than Bing Crosby.
Sinatra did not serve in the military during World War II. On December 11, 1943, he was officially classified4-F("Registrant not acceptable for military service") by his draft board because of his perforated eardrum. However, Army files reported that Sinatra had actually been rejected because he was "not acceptable material from a psychiatric viewpoint;" his emotional instability was hidden to avoid "undue unpleasantness for both the selectee and the induction service".Briefly, there were rumors reported by columnistWalter Winchellthat Sinatra paid $40,000 to avoid military service, but the FBI found this to be without merit.
Toward the end of the war, Sinatra entertained the troops during several successful overseasUSOtours with comedianPhil Silvers.During one trip to Rome, he metthe Pope, who asked him if he was an operatic tenor.Sinatra worked frequently with the popularAndrews Sistersin radio in the 1940s,and many USO shows were broadcast to troops via theArmed Forces Radio Service(AFRS).In 1944, Sinatra released "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" as a single and recorded his own version of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas". The following year he released "I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)", "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)", "Dream", and "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" as singles.
Despite being heavily involved in political activity in 1945 and 1946, in those two years, Sinatra sang on 160 radio shows, recorded 36 times, and shot four films. By 1946, he was performing on stage up to 45 times a week, singing up to 100 songs daily, and earning up to $93,000 a week.
In 1946, Sinatra released "Oh! What it Seemed to Be", "Day by Day", "They Say It's Wonderful", "Five Minutes More", and "The Coffee Song" as singles,and launched his first album,The Voice of Frank Sinatra,which reached No. 1 on theBillboardchart. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that Sinatra "took the material very seriously, singing the love lyrics with utter seriousness" and that his "singing and the classically influenced settings gave the songs unusual depth of meaning."He was soon selling 10million records a year.
Such was Sinatra's command at Columbia that his love of conducting was indulged with the release of the setFrank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder, an offering unlikely to appeal to Sinatra's core fanbase of teenage girls at the time.The following year he released his second album,Songs by Sinatra, featuring songs of a similar mood and tempo such asIrving Berlin's "How Deep is the Ocean?" andHarold Arlen's andJerome Kern's "All The Things You Are"."Mam'selle", composed byEdmund Gouldingwith lyrics byMack Gordonfor the filmThe Razor's Edge(1946),was released as a single.
Sinatra had competition; versions byArt Lund,Dick Haymes,Dennis Day, and The Pied Pipers also reached the top ten of theBillboardcharts.In December, he recorded "Sweet Lorraine" with theMetronome All-Stars, featuring talented jazz musicians such asColeman Hawkins,Harry CarneyandCharlie Shavers, withNat King Coleon piano, in what Charles L. Granata describes as "one of the highlights of Sinatra's Columbia epoch".
Sinatra's third album,Christmas Songs by Sinatra, was originally released in 1948 as a 78rpm album set,and a 10" LP record was released two years later.When Sinatra was featured as a priest inThe Miracle of the Bells, due to press negativity surrounding his alleged Mafia connections at the time,it was announced to the public that Sinatra would donate his $100,000 in wages from the film to theCatholic Church.
By the end of 1948, Sinatra had slipped to fourth onDownBeat's annual poll of most popular singers,and in the following year he was pushed out of the top spots in polls for the first time since 1943.Frankly Sentimental(1949) was panned byDownBeat, who commented that "for all his talent, it seldom comes to life."
Though "The Hucklebuck" reached the top ten,it was his last single release under the Columbia label.Sinatra's last two albums with Columbia,Dedicated to YouandSing and Dance with Frank Sinatra, were released in 1950.Sinatra would later feature a number of theSing and Dance with Frank Sinatraalbum's songs, including "Lover", "It's Only a Paper Moon", and "It All Depends on You", on his 1961 Capitol release,Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!.
Culminating the low of his career was the death of publicist George Evans in January 1950. According toJimmy Van Heusen, Sinatra's close friend and songwriter, Evans's death to him was "an enormous shock which defies words", as he had been crucial to his career and popularity with the "Bobby soxers".
Sinatra's reputation continued to decline as reports broke in February of his affair with Ava Gardner and the destruction of his marriage to Nancy,though he insisted that his marriage had long been over even before he met Gardner.In April, Sinatra was engaged to perform at theCopaclub in New York, but had to cancel five days of the booking due to a submucosal hemorrhage of the throat.Evans once said that whenever Sinatra suffered from a bad throat and loss of voice it was always due to emotional tension, which "absolutely destroyed him".
In financial difficulty following his divorce and career decline, Sinatra was forced to borrow $200,000 from Columbia to pay his back taxes after MCA refused to front the money.Rejected by Hollywood, he turned toLas Vegasand made his debut at theDesert Innin September 1951,and also began singing at the Riverside Hotel inReno, Nevada.
Sinatra became one of Las Vegas's pioneerresidencyentertainers,and a prominent figure on the Vegas scenethroughout the 1950sand 1960s onwards, a period described by Rojek as the "high-water mark" of Sinatra's "hedonism and self-absorption". Rojek notes that theRat Pack"provided an outlet for gregarious banter and wisecracks" but argues that it was Sinatra's vehicle, possessing an "unassailable command over the other performers."Sinatra would fly to Las Vegas from Los Angeles in Van Heusen's plane.On October 4, 1953, Sinatra made his first performance at theSands Hotel and Casino, after an invitation by the managerJack Entratter.Sinatra typically performed there three times a year and later acquired a share in the hotel.
Sinatra's decline in popularity was evident in his concert appearances. At a brief run at the Paramount in New York, he drew small audiences.At the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, he performed to half-filled houses.At a concert atChez Pareein Chicago, only 150 people turned up in a 1,200-seat venue.By April 1952, he was performing at theKauai County Fairin Hawaii.Sinatra's relationship with Columbia Records was disintegrating, withA&RexecutiveMitch Millerclaiming he "couldn't give away" Sinatra records.Though several notable recordings were made during this time period, such as "If I Could Write a Book" in January 1952, which Granata sees as a "turning point", forecasting his later work with its sensitivity,
Columbia and MCA dropped him later that year.His last studio recording for Columbia, "Why Try To Change Me Now", was recorded in New York on September 17, 1952, with an orchestra arranged and conducted byPercy Faith.JournalistBurt Boyarobserved, "Sinatra had had it. It was sad. From the top to the bottom in one horrible lesson."
The release of the filmFrom Here to Eternityin August 1953 marked the beginning of a remarkable career revival.Tom Santopietronotes that Sinatra began to bury himself in his work, with an "unparalleled frenetic schedule of recordings, movies and concerts",in what authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan describe as "a new and brilliant phase."
On March 13, 1953, Sinatra met with Capitol Records vice presidentAlan Livingstonand signed a seven-year recording contract.His first session for Capitol took place at KHJ studios at Studio C, 5515 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, with Axel Stordahl conducting.The session produced four recordings, including "I'm Walking Behind You",Sinatra's first Capitol single.
After spending two weeks on location in Hawaii filmingFrom Here to Eternity, Sinatra returned to KHJ on April 30 for his first recording session withNelson Riddle, an established arranger and conductor at Capitol who was Nat King Cole's musical director.After recording the first song, "I've Got the World on a String", Sinatra offered Riddle a rare expression of praise, "Beautiful!",and after listening to the playbacks, he could not hide his enthusiasm, exclaiming, "I'm back, baby, I'm back!"
In subsequent sessions in May and November 1953,Sinatra and Riddle developed and refined their musical collaboration, with Sinatra providing specific guidance on the arrangements.Sinatra's first album for Capitol,Songs for Young Lovers, was released on January 4, 1954, and included "A Foggy Day", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "My Funny Valentine", "Violets for Your Furs", and "They Can't Take That Away from Me",songs which became staples of his later concerts.
That same month, Sinatra released the single "Young at Heart", which reached No. 2 and was awarded Song of the Year.In March, he recorded and released the single "Three Coins in the Fountain", a "powerful ballad"that reached No. 4.Sinatra's second album with Riddle,Swing Easy!, which reflected his "love for the jazz idiom" according to Granata,was released on August 2 of that year and included "Just One of Those Things", "Taking a Chance on Love", "Get Happy", and "All of Me".Swing Easy!was named Album of the Year byBillboard, and he was named "Favorite Male Vocalist" byBillboard,DownBeat, andMetronomethat year.
Sinatra came to consider Riddle "the greatest arranger in the world",and Riddle, who considered Sinatra, "a perfectionist",said: "It's not only that his intuitions as to tempo, phrasing, and even configuration are amazingly right, but his taste is so impeccable... There is still no one who can approach him."
In 1955, Sinatra releasedIn the Wee Small Hours, his first 12" LP,featuring songs such as "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Mood Indigo", "Glad to Be Unhappy" and "When Your Lover Has Gone".According to Granata it was the firstconcept albumof his to make a "single persuasive statement", with an extended program and "melancholy mood".Sinatra embarked on his first tour of Australia the same year.
Another collaboration with Riddle resulted inSongs for Swingin' Lovers!, sometimes seen as one of his best albums, which was released in March 1956.It features a recording of "I've Got You Under My Skin" byCole Porter,which reportedly took 22 takes to perfect.
His February 1956 recording sessions inaugurated the studios at theCapitol Records Building,complete with a 56-piece symphonic orchestra.According to Granata, his recordings of "Night and Day", "Oh! Look at Me Now", and "From This Moment On" revealed "powerful sexual overtones, stunningly achieved through the mounting tension and release of Sinatra's best-teasing vocal lines", while his recording of "River, Stay 'Way from My Door" in April demonstrated his "brilliance as a syncopational improviser."
Riddle said that Sinatra took "particular delight" in singing "The Lady is a Tramp", commenting that he "always sang that song with a certain amount of salaciousness", making "cue tricks" with the lyrics.His penchant for conducting was displayed again in 1956'sFrank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color, an instrumental album that has been interpreted to be a catharsis to his failed relationship with Gardner.Sinatra also sang atthat year's Democratic National Conventionand performed withThe Dorsey Brothersfor a week soon afterward at the Paramount Theatre.
In 1957, Sinatra releasedClose to You,A Swingin' Affair!, andWhere Are You?—his first album in stereo, withGordon Jenkins.Granata considers "Close to You" to have been thematically his closest concept album to perfection during the "golden" era, and Nelson Riddle's finest work, which was "extremely progressive" by the standards of the day. It is structured like a three-act play, each commencing with the songs "With Every Breath I Take", "Blame It on My Youth" and "It Could Happen to You".For Granata, Sinatra'sA Swingin' Affair!andSongs for Swingin' Lovers!solidified "Sinatra's image as a 'swinger', from both a musical and visual standpoint."Buddy Colletteconsidered the swing albums to have been heavily influenced bySammy Davis Jr.and stated that when he worked with Sinatra in the mid-1960s, he approached a song much differently than he had done in the early 1950s.
On June 9, 1957, he performed in a 62-minute concert conducted by Riddle at theSeattle Civic Auditorium,his first appearance inSeattlesince 1945.The recording was first released as a bootleg, butArtanis Entertainment Groupofficially released it asSinatra '57 in Concertin 1999, after Sinatra's death.
In 1958, Sinatra released the concept albumCome Fly with MewithBilly May, designed as a musical world tour.It reached the top spot on theBillboardalbum chart in its second week, remaining at the top for five weeks,and was nominated for theGrammy Award for Album of the Yearat theinaugural Grammy Awards.The title song, "Come Fly With Me", written especially for him, would become one of his best-known standards.On May 29, he recorded seven songs in a single session, more than double the usual yield of a recording session, and an eighth, "Lush Life", was abandoned as Sinatra found it too technically demanding.In September, Sinatra releasedFrank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, a stark collection of introspectivesaloon songs and blues-tinged ballads, which proved a huge commercial success, spending 120 weeks onBillboard's album chart and peaking at No.1.Cuts from this LP, such as "Angel Eyes" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)", would remain staples of the "saloon song" segments of Sinatra's concerts.
In 1959, Sinatra releasedCome Dance with Me!, a highly successful, critically acclaimed album that stayed onBillboard's Pop album chart for 140 weeks, peaking at No. 2. It won theGrammy Award for Album of the Year, as well asBest Vocal Performance, MaleandBest ArrangementforBilly May.
He releasedNo One Caresin the same year, a collection of "brooding, lonely" torch songs, which criticStephen Thomas Erlewinethought was "nearly as good as its predecessorWhere Are You?, but lacked the "lush" arrangements of it and the "grandiose melancholy" ofOnly the Lonely.
In the words of Kelley, by 1959, Sinatra was "not simply the leader of the Rat Pack" but had "assumed the position ofil padronein Hollywood." He was asked by 20th Century Fox to be the master of ceremonies at a luncheon attended by Soviet PremierNikita Khrushchevon September 19, 1959.Nice 'n' Easy, a collection of ballads, topped theBillboardchart in October 1960 and remained in the charts for 86 weeks,winning critical plaudits.
Sinatra grew discontented at Capitol and fell into a feud withAlan Livingston, which lasted over six months.His first attempt at owning his own label was with his pursuit of buying declining jazz labelVerve Records, which ended once an initial agreement with Verve founderNorman Granz"failed to materialize".
He decided to form his own label,Reprise Records,and, in an effort to assert his new direction, temporarily parted with Riddle, May and Jenkins, working with other arrangers such asNeil Hefti,Don Costa, andQuincy Jones.Sinatra built the appeal of Reprise Records as one in which artists were promised creative control, as well as a guarantee that they would eventually gain "complete ownership of their work, including publishing rights."
Under Sinatra the company developed into a music industry "powerhouse", and he later sold it for an estimated $80million.His first album on the label,Ring-a-Ding-Ding!(1961), was a major success, peaking at No.4 onBillboard.The album was released in February 1961, the same month that Reprise Records releasedBen Webster'sThe Warm Moods,Sammy Davis Jr.'sThe Wham of Sam,Mavis River'sMavisandJoe E. Lewis'sIt is Now Post Time.During the initial years of Reprise, Sinatra was still under contract to record for Capitol, completing his contractual commitment with the release ofPoint of No Return, recorded on September 11 and 12, 1961.
In 1962, Sinatra releasedSinatra and Strings, a set of standard ballads arranged by Don Costa, which became one of the most critically acclaimed works of Sinatra's Reprise period. Frank Jr., who was present during the recording, noted the "huge orchestra", which Nancy Sinatra stated "opened a whole new era" in pop music, with orchestras getting bigger, embracing a "lush string sound".
Sinatra andCount Basiecollaborated for the albumSinatra-Basiethe same year,a popular and successful release which prompted them to rejoin two years later for the follow-upIt Might as Well Be Swing, arranged by Quincy Jones.The two became frequent performers together,and appeared at theNewport Jazz Festivalin 1965.Also in 1962, as the owner of his own record label, Sinatra was able to step on the podium as conductor again, releasing his third instrumental albumFrank Sinatra Conducts Music from Pictures and Plays.
In 1963, Sinatra reunited with Nelson Riddle forThe Concert Sinatra, an ambitious album featuring a 73-piece symphony orchestra arranged and conducted by Riddle. The concert was recorded on a motion picture scoring soundstage with the use of multiple synchronized recording machines that employed an optical signal onto 35mm film designed for movie soundtracks. Granata considers the album to have been "impeachable" [sic], "one of the very best of the Sinatra-Riddle ballad albums", in which Sinatra displayed his vocal range, particularly in "Ol' Man River", in which he darkened the hue.
In 1964, the song "My Kind of Town" was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song.Sinatra releasedSoftly, as I Leave You,and collaborated with Bing Crosby andFred WaringonAmerica, I Hear You Singing, a collection of patriotic songs recorded as a tribute to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy.Sinatra increasingly became involved in charitable pursuits in this period. In 1961 and 1962, he went to Mexico to put on performances for Mexican charities.and in July 1964, he was present at the dedication of the Frank Sinatra International Youth Center for Arab and Jewish children inNazareth.
Sinatra's phenomenal success in 1965, coinciding with his 50th birthday, promptedBillboardto proclaim that he may have reached the "peak of his eminence".In June 1965, Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., andDean Martinplayed live inSt. Louisto benefit Dismas House, a prisoner rehabilitation and training center with nationwide programs that, in particular, helped serve black Americans.
The Rat Pack concert, called The Frank Sinatra Spectacular, was broadcast live via satellite to numerous movie theaters across America.The albumSeptember of My Yearswas released September 1965, and went on to win the Grammy Award for best album of the year.Granata considers the album to have been one of the finest of his Reprise years, "a reflective throwback to the concept records of the 1950s, and more than any of those collections, distills everything that Frank Sinatra had ever learned or experienced as a vocalist".One of the album's singles, "It Was a Very Good Year", won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male.A career anthology,A Man and His Music, followed in November, winning Album of the Year at the Grammys the following year.
In 1966, Sinatra releasedThat's Life, with both the single of "That's Life" and album becoming Top Ten hits onBillboard's pop charts.Strangers in the Nightwent on to top theBillboardand UK pop singles charts,winning the award for Record of the Year at the Grammys.Sinatra's first live album,Sinatra at the Sands, was recorded during January and February 1966 at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Sinatra was backed by the Count Basie Orchestra, with Quincy Jones conducting.Sinatra pulled out from the Sands the following year when he was driven out by its new ownerHoward Hughesafter a fight.
Sinatra started 1967 with a series of recording sessions withAntônio Carlos Jobim. He recorded one of his collaborations with Jobim, the Grammy-nominated albumFrancis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim, which was one of the best-selling albums of the year, behind the Beatles'sSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
According to Santopietro the album "consists of an extraordinarily effective blend of bossa nova and slightly swinging jazz vocals, and succeeds in creating an unbroken mood of romance and regret."WriterStan Cornynwrote that Sinatra sang so softly on the album that it was comparable to the time that he suffered from a vocal hemorrhage in 1950.
Sinatra released the albumThe World We Knew, which features a chart-topping duet of "Somethin' Stupid" with daughter Nancy.In December, Sinatra collaborated withDuke Ellingtonon the albumFrancis A. & Edward K..According to Granata, the recording of "Indian Summer" on the album was a favorite of Riddle's, noting the "contemplative mood [which] is heightened by aJohnny Hodgesalto sax solo that will bring a tear to your eye".
With Sinatra in mind, singer-songwriterPaul Ankawrote the song "My Way", using the melody of the French "Comme d'habitude" ("As Usual"), composed byClaude FrançoisandJacques Revaux.Sinatra recorded it in one take, just after Christmas 1968."My Way", Sinatra's best-known song on the Reprise label, was not an instant success, charting at No. 27 in the US and No. 5 in the UK.However, it remained in the UK charts for 122 weeks, including 75 non-consecutive weeks in theTop 40, between April 1969 and September 1971, which was still a record in 2015.Sinatra told songwriterErvin Drakein the 1970s that he "detested" singing the song because he believed audiences would think it was a "self-aggrandizing tribute".According toNPR, "My Way" has become one of the most requested songs at funerals.
In an effort to maintain his commercial viability in the late 1960s, Sinatra would record works byPaul Simon("Mrs. Robinson"),the Beatles("Yesterday"), andJoni Mitchell("Both Sides, Now") in 1969.
In 1970, Sinatra releasedWatertown, a critically acclaimed concept album, with music byBob Gaudio(of the Four Seasons) and lyrics byJake Holmes.However, it sold a mere 30,000 copies that year and reached a peak chart position of 101.
He left Caesars Palace in September of that year after an incident in which executive Sanford Waterman pulled a gun on him.He performed several charity concerts with Count Basie at theRoyal Festival Hallin London.On November 2, 1970, Sinatra recorded the last songs for Reprise Records before his self-imposed retirement,announced the following June at a concert in Hollywood to raise money for the Motion Picture and TV Relief Fund.He gave a "rousing" performance of "That's Life", and finished the concert with aMatt Dennisand Earl Brent song, "Angel Eyes" which he had recorded on theOnly the Lonelyalbum in 1958.He sang the last line. "'Scuse me while I disappear." The spotlight went dark, and he left the stage.
He toldLIFEjournalistThomas Thompsonthat "I've got things to do, like the first thing is not to doanythingat all for eight months... maybe a year",while Barbara Sinatra later said that Sinatra had grown "tired of entertaining people, especially when all they really wanted were the same old tunes he had long ago become bored by".Around this time, Sinatra designedVilla Maggio, a holiday home and retreat nearPalm Desert.While he was in retirement, PresidentRichard Nixonasked him to perform at a Young Voters Rally in anticipation of the upcoming campaign. Sinatra obliged and chose to sing "My Kind of Town" for the rally held in Chicago on October 20, 1972.
In 1973, Sinatra came out of his short-lived retirement with a television special and album. The album, entitledOl' Blue Eyes Is Back,arranged by Gordon Jenkins andDon Costa,was a success, reaching number 13 onBillboardand number 12 in the UK.The television special,Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra, reunited Sinatra withGene Kelly.
He initially developed problems with his vocal cords during the comeback due to a prolonged period without singing.That Christmas, he performed at theSahara Hotelin Las Vegas,and returned to Caesars Palace the following month in January 1974.He began what Barbara Sinatra describes as a "massive comeback tour of the United States, Europe, the Far East, and Australia."In July, while on a second tour of Australia,he caused an uproar by describing journalists there – who were aggressively pursuing his every move and pushing for a press conference – as "bums, parasites, fags, and buck-and-a-half hookers."After he was pressured to apologize, Sinatra instead insisted that the journalists apologize for "fifteen years of abuse I have taken from the world press." Union actions canceled concerts and grounded Sinatra's plane, essentially trapping him in Australia.
Sinatra's lawyer, Mickey Rudin, arranged for Sinatra to issue a written conciliatory note and a final concert that was televised to the nation.In October 1974, he appeared at New York City'sMadison Square Gardenin a televised concert that was later released as an album under the titleThe Main Event – Live. Backing him was bandleaderWoody Hermanand the Young Thundering Herd, who accompanied Sinatra on a European tour later that month.
In 1975, Sinatra performed in concerts in New York with Count Basie andElla Fitzgerald, and at theLondon Palladiumwith Basie andSarah Vaughan, and in Tehranat Aryamehr Stadium, giving 140 performances in 105 days.In August he held several concerts atLake Tahoetogether with the newly risen singerJohn Denver,who became a frequent collaborator.Sinatra had recorded Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "My Sweet Lady" forSinatra & Company(1971),and according to Denver, his song "A Baby Just Like You" was written at Sinatra's request for his new grandchild, Angela.
During the Labor Day weekend held in 1976, Sinatra was responsible for reuniting old friends and comedy partners Dean Martin andJerry Lewisfor the first time in nearly twenty years, when they performed at the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon".That year, theFriars Clubselected him as the "Top Box Office Name of the Century", and he was given the Scopus Award by the American Friends of theHebrew University of Jerusalemin Israel and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from theUniversity of Nevada.
Sinatra continued to perform at Caesars Palace in the late 1970s and was performing there in January 1977 when his mother Dolly died in a plane crash on the way to see him.He canceled two weeks of shows and spent time recovering from the shock in Barbados.In March, he performed in front ofPrincess Margaretat theRoyal Albert Hallin London, raising money for theNational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.On March 14, he recorded with Nelson Riddle for the last time, recording the songs "Linda", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Barbara".The two men had a major falling out and later patched up their differences in January 1985 at a dinner organized for Ronald Reagan when Sinatra asked Riddle to make another album with him. Riddle was ill at the time and died that October before they had a chance to record.
In 1978, Sinatra filed a $1million lawsuit against a land developer for using his name in the "Frank Sinatra Drive Center" in West Los Angeles.During a party at Caesars in 1979, he was awarded theGrammy Trustees Award, while celebrating 40 years in show business and his 64th birthday.That year, former PresidentGerald Fordawarded Sinatra theInternational Man of the Year Award,and he performed in front of theEgyptian pyramidsforAnwar Sadat, which raised more than $500,000 forSadat's wife's charities.
In 1980, Sinatra's first album in six years was released,Trilogy: Past Present Future, a highly ambitious triple album that features an array of songs from both the pre-rock and rock eras.It was the first studio album of Sinatra's to feature his touring pianist at the time, Vinnie Falcone, and was based on an idea bySonny Burke.The album garnered sixGrammynominations– winning for best liner notes– and peaked at number 17 onBillboard's album chart,and spawned yet another song that would become a signature tune, "Theme from New York, New York".
That year, as part of the Concert of the Americas, he performed in theMaracanã StadiuminRio de Janeiro, Brazil, which broke records for the "largest live paid audience ever recorded for a solo performer".The following year, Sinatra built on the success ofTrilogywithShe Shot Me Down, an album that was praised for embodying the dark tone of his Capitol years.Also in 1981, Sinatra was embroiled in controversy when he worked a 10-day engagement for $2million inSun City, in the internationally unrecognizedBophuthatswana, breaking a cultural boycott against apartheid-era South Africa. PresidentLucas Mangopeawarded Sinatra with the highest honor, the Order of the Leopard, and made him an honorary tribal chief.
Santopietro stated that by the early 1980s, Sinatra's voice had "coarsened, losing much of its power and flexibility, but audiences didn't care."In 1982, he signed a $16million three-year deal with theGolden Nuggetof Las Vegas.
Kelley notes that by this period, Sinatra's voice had grown "darker, tougher and loamier", but he "continued to captivate audiences with his immutable magic." She added that his baritone voice "sometimes cracked, but the gliding intonations still aroused the same raptures of delight as they had at the Paramount Theater."
That year, he made a reported further $1.3million from the Showtime television rights to his "Concert of the Americas" in the Dominican Republic, $1.6million for a concert series atCarnegie Hall, and $250,000 in just one evening at the Chicago Fest. He donated a lot of his earnings to charity.He put on a performance at the White House for Italian presidentSandro Pertini, and performed at theRadio City Music HallwithLuciano PavarottiandGeorge Shearing.
Sinatra was honored at the 1983Kennedy Center Honors, alongsideKatherine Dunham,James Stewart,Elia Kazan, andVirgil Thomson. QuotingHenry James, President Reagan said in honoring his old friend that "art was the shadow of humanity" and that Sinatra had "spent his life casting a magnificent and powerful shadow."
On September 21, 1983, Sinatra filed a $2million court case againstKitty Kelley, suing her for punitive damages, before her unofficial biography,His Way, was even published. The book became a best-seller for "all the wrong reasons" and "the most eye-openingcelebrity biographyof our time", according toWilliam SafireofThe New York Times.Sinatra was always adamant that such a book would be written on his terms, and he himself would "set the record straight" in details of his life.
According to Kelley, the family detested her and the book, which took its toll on Sinatra's health. Kelley says that Tina Sinatra blamed her for her father's colon surgery in 1986.He was forced to drop the case on September 19, 1984, with several leading newspapers expressing concerns about censorship.
In 1984, Sinatra worked with Quincy Jones for the first time in nearly two decades on the albumL.A. Is My Lady, which was well received critically.The album was a substitute for another Jones project, an album of duets withLena Horne, which had to be abandoned.In 1986, Sinatra collapsed on stage while performing inAtlantic Cityand was hospitalized fordiverticulitis,which left him looking frail.Two years later, Sinatra reunited with Martin and Davis and went on the Rat Pack Reunion Tour, during which they played many large arenas. When Martin dropped out of the tour early on, a rift developed between them, and the two never spoke again.
On June 6, 1988, Sinatra made his last recordings with Reprise for an album that was not released. He recorded "My Foolish Heart", "Cry Me a River", and other songs. Sinatra never completed the project, but take number 18 of "My Foolish Heart" may be heard inThe Complete Reprise Studio Recordings(1995).
In 1990, Sinatra was awarded the second "Ella Award" by the Los Angeles-basedSociety of Singers, and performed for a final time with Ella Fitzgerald at the award ceremony.Sinatra maintained an active touring schedule in the early 1990s, performing 65 concerts in 1990, 73 in 1991, and 84 in 1992 in seventeen countries.
In 1993, Sinatra returned to Capitol Records and the recording studio forDuets, which became his best-selling album.The album and its sequel,Duets II, released the following year,would see Sinatra remake his classic recordings with popular contemporary performers, who added their vocals to a pre-recorded tape.
During his tours in the early 1990s, his memory failed him at times during concerts, and he fainted onstage inRichmond, Virginiain March 1994.His final public concerts were held inFukuoka Domein Japan on December 19–20, 1994.The following year, Sinatra sang for the last time on February 25, 1995, before a live audience of 1200 select guests at the Palm Desert Marriott Ballroom on the closing night of the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic golf tournament.
Esquirereported of the show that Sinatra was "clear, tough, on the money" and "in absolute control".Sinatra was awarded theLegend Awardat the1994 Grammy Awards, where he was introduced byBono, who said of him, "Frank's the chairman of the bad attitude... Rock 'n roll plays at being tough, but this guy is the boss– the chairman of boss".
In 1995, to mark Sinatra's 80th birthday, theEmpire State Buildingglowed blue.A star-studded birthday tribute,Sinatra: 80 Years My Way, was held at theShrine Auditoriumin Los Angeles, featuring performers such asRay Charles,Little Richard,Natalie ColeandSalt-N-Pepasinging his songs.At the end of the program, Sinatra performed on stage for the last time to sing the final notes of the "Theme from New York, New York" with an ensemble.In recognition of his many years of association with Las Vegas, Sinatra was elected to theGaming Hall of Famein 1997.
While Sinatra never learned how to read music well, he had a natural understanding of it,and he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music.He could follow alead sheet(simplified sheet music showing a song's basic structure) during a performance by "carefully following the patterns and groupings of notes arranged on the page" and made his own notations to the music, using his ear to detect semitonal differences.
Granata states that some of the most accomplished classically trained musicians soon noticed his musical understanding and remarked that Sinatra had a "sixth sense", which "demonstrated unusual proficiency when it came to detecting incorrect notes and sounds within the orchestra."
Sinatra was an aficionado of classical music,and would often request classical strains in his music, inspired by composers such asPucciniandImpressionistmasters. His personal favorite wasRalph Vaughan Williams.He would insist on always recording live with the band because it gave him a "certain feeling" to perform live surrounded by musicians.By the mid-1940s, such was his understanding of music that after hearing anair checkof some compositions byAlec Wilder, which were for strings and woodwinds, he became the conductor at Columbia Records for six of Wilder's compositions.The works were considered by Wilder to have been among the finest renditions and recordings of his compositions, past or present.Critic Gene Lees, a lyricist and the author of the words to the Jobim melody "This Happy Madness", expressed amazement when he heard Sinatra's recording of it onSinatra & Company(1971), considering him to have delivered the lyrics to perfection.
Voice coach John Quinlan was impressed by Sinatra's vocal range, remarking, "He has far more voice than people think he has. He can vocalize to a B-flat on top in full voice, and he doesn't need a mic either".As a singer, early on, he was primarily influenced by Bing Crosby,but later believed thatTony Bennettwas "the best singer in the business."Bennett himself claimed that as a performer, Sinatra had "perfected the art of intimacy."According to Nelson Riddle, Sinatra had a "fairly rangy voice",remarking that "His voice has a very strident, insistent sound in the top register, a smooth lyrical sound in the middle register, and a very tender sound in the low. His voice is built on infinite taste, with an overall inflection of sex. He points everything he does from a sexual standpoint".
Despite his heavy New Jersey accent, when Sinatra sang, his accent was barely detectable;according to Richard Schuller, his diction became "precise" while singing and his articulation "meticulous".His timing was impeccable, allowing him, according to Charles L. Granata, to "toy with the rhythm of a melody, bringing tremendous excitement to his reading of a lyric."Tommy Dorsey observed that Sinatra would "take a musical phrase and play it all the way through seemingly without breathing for eight, ten, maybe sixteen bars." Dorsey was a considerable influence on Sinatra's techniques for his vocal phrasing with his own exceptional breath control on the trombone,and Sinatra regularly swam and held his breath underwater, thinking of song lyrics to increase his breathing power.
Arrangers such as Nelson Riddle and Anthony Fanzo found Sinatra to be a perfectionist who constantly drove himself and others around him, stating that his collaborators approached him with a sense of uneasiness because of his unpredictable and often volatile temperament.
Granata comments that Sinatra was almost fanatically obsessed with perfection to the point that people began wondering if he was genuinely concerned about the music or showing off his power over others.On days when he felt that his voice was not right, he would know after only a few notes and would postpone the recording session until the following day, yet still pay his musicians.
After a period of performing, Sinatra tired of singing a certain set of songs and was always looking for talented new songwriters and composers to work with. Once he found ones that he liked, he actively sought to work with them as often as he could and made friends with many of them. Over the years, he recorded 87 ofSammy Cahn's songs, of which 24 were composed byJule Styneand 43 by Jimmy Van Heusen. The Cahn-Styne partnership lasted from 1942 until 1954, when Van Heusen succeeded him as Sinatra's main composer.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Sinatra insisted upon direct input regarding arrangements and tempos for his recordings. He would spend weeks thinking about the songs he wanted to record and would keep an arranger in mind for each song.Barbara Sinatra notes that Sinatra would almost always credit the songwriter at the end of each number and would often make comments to the audience, such as "Isn't that a pretty ballad" or "Don't you think that's the most marvelous love song", delivered with "childlike delight".She states that after each show, Sinatra would be "in a buoyant, electrically charged mood, a post-show high that would take him hours to come down from as he quietly relived every note of the performance he'd just given."
Sinatra's split with Gardner in the fall of 1953 had a profound impact on the types of songs he sang and on his voice. He began to console himself in songs with a "brooding melancholy", such as "I'm a Fool to Want You", "Don't Worry 'Bout Me", "My One and Only Love" and "There Will Never Be Another You",which Riddle believed was the direct influence of Ava Gardner.
Lahr comments that the new Sinatra was "not the gentle boy balladeer of the forties. Fragility had gone from his voice, to be replaced by a virile adult's sense of happiness and hurt".Author Granata considered Sinatra a "master of the art of recording", noting that his work in the studio "set him apart from other gifted vocalists." During his career, he made over 1000 recordings.Recording sessions would typically last three hours. However, Sinatra would always prepare for them by spending at least an hour by the piano beforehand to vocalize, followed by a short rehearsal with the orchestra to ensure the balance of sound.
During his Columbia years, Sinatra used anRCA Type 44microphone, which Granata describes as "the 'old-fashioned' microphone which is closely associated with Sinatra's crooner image of the 1940s".At Capitol, he used aNeumann U 47, an "ultra-sensitive" microphone that better captured the timbre and tone of his voice.
In the 1950s, Sinatra's career was facilitated by developments in technology. Up to sixteen songs could now be held by the twelve-inch L.P., and this allowed Sinatra to use song in a novelistic way, turning each track into a kind of chapter, which built and counterpointed moods to illuminate a larger theme".Santopietro writes that through the 1950s and well into the 1960s, "Every Sinatra LP was a masterpiece of one sort of another, whether uptempo, torch song, or swingin' affairs. Track after track, the brilliant concept albums redefined the nature of pop vocal art".
Sinatra attempted to pursue an acting career in Hollywood in the early 1940s. While films appealed to him,being exceptionally self-confident,he was rarely enthusiastic about his own acting, once remarking that "pictures stink".Sinatra made his film debut performing in an uncredited sequence inLas Vegas Nights(1941), singing "I'll Never Smile Again" with Tommy Dorsey's Pied Pipers.He had a cameo role along with Duke Ellington and Count Basie inCharles Barton'sReveille with Beverly(1943), making a brief appearance singing "Night and Day".Next, he was given leading roles inHigher and HigherandStep Lively(both 1944) forRKO.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayercast Sinatra oppositeGene KellyandKathryn Graysonin theTechnicolormusicalAnchors Aweigh(1945), in which he played a sailor on leave in Hollywood.A major success,it garnered several Academy Award wins and nominations, and the song "I Fall in Love Too Easily", sung by Sinatra in the film, was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song.He briefly appeared at the end ofRichard Whorf's commercially successfulTill the Clouds Roll By(1946), a Technicolor musical biopic ofJerome Kern, in which he sang "Ol' Man River".
Sinatra co-starred again with Gene Kelly in the Technicolor musicalTake Me Out to the Ball Game(1949), in which they play baseball players who are part-time vaudevillians.He teamed up with Kelly for a third time inOn the Town(1949), playing a sailor on leave in New York City. The film remains rated very highly by critics, and in 2006, it ranked No. 19 on theAmerican Film Institute'slist of best musicals.BothDouble Dynamite(1951), an RKOIrving Cummingscomedy produced byHoward Hughes,andJoseph Pevney'sMeet Danny Wilson(1952) failed to make an impression.
Fred Zinnemann'sFrom Here to Eternity(1953) deals with the tribulations of three soldiers, played byBurt Lancaster,Montgomery Clift, and Sinatra, stationed onHawaiiin the months leading up to theattack on Pearl Harbor.Sinatra had long been desperate to find a film role that would bring him back into the spotlight, and Columbia Pictures bossHarry Cohnhad been inundated by appeals from people across Hollywood to give Sinatra a chance to star as "Maggio" in the film.During production, Montgomery Clift became a close friend,and Sinatra later professed that he "learned more about acting from him than anybody I ever knew before".After several years of critical and commercial decline, hisAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actorwin helped him regain his position as the top recording artist in the world.His performance also won aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.TheLos Angeles Examinerwrote that Sinatra is "simply superb, comical, pitiful, childishly brave, pathetically defiant", commenting that his death scene is "one of the best ever photographed".
Sinatra starred oppositeDoris Dayin the musical filmYoung at Heart(1954),and earned critical praise for his performance as a psychopathic killer posing as anFBIagent oppositeSterling Haydenin thefilm noirSuddenly(1954).
Sinatra was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best ActorandBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Rolefor his role as a heroin addict inThe Man with the Golden Arm(1955).After roles inGuys and Dolls,andThe Tender Trap(both 1955),Sinatra was nominated for aBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Rolefor his role as a medical student inStanley Kramer's directorial début,Not as a Stranger(1955).During production, Sinatra got drunk withRobert MitchumandBroderick Crawfordand trashed Kramer's dressing room.Kramer vowed at the time never to hire Sinatra again and later regretted casting him as a Spanish guerrilla leader inThe Pride and the Passion(1957).
Sinatra featured alongsideBing CrosbyandGrace KellyinHigh Society(1956) for MGM, earning a reported $250,000 for the picture.The public rushed to the cinemas to see Sinatra and Crosby together on-screen, and it ended up earning over $13million at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing pictures of its year.He starred oppositeRita HayworthandKim NovakinGeorge Sidney'sPal Joey(1957), for which Sinatra won aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.Santopietro considers the scene in which Sinatra sings "The Lady Is a Tramp" to Hayworth to have been the finest moment of his film career.He next portrayed comedianJoe E. LewisinThe Joker Is Wild(1957);the song "All the Way" won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song.By 1958, Sinatra was one of the ten biggest box office draws in the United States,appearing with Dean Martin andShirley MacLaineinVincente Minnelli'sSome Came RunningandKings Go Forth(both 1958) withTony CurtisandNatalie Wood."High Hopes", sung by Sinatra in theFrank Capracomedy,A Hole in the Head(1959),won the Academy Award for Best Original Song,and became a chart hit, lasting on theHot 100for 17 weeks.
Due to an obligation, he owed to20th Century Foxfor walking off the set ofHenry King'sCarousel(1956),Sinatra starred oppositeShirley MacLaine,Maurice ChevalierandLouis JourdaninCan-Can(1960). He earned $200,000 and 25% of the profits for the performance.Around the same time, he starred in the Las Vegas-setOcean's 11(1960), the first film to feature the Rat Pack together and the start of a "new era of screen cool" for Santopietro.Sinatra personally financed the film and paid Martin and Davis fees of $150,000 and $125,000, respectively, sums considered exorbitant for the period.He had a leading role oppositeLaurence HarveyinThe Manchurian Candidate(1962), which he considered to be the role he was most excited about and the high point of his film career.Vincent Canby, writing for the magazineVariety, found the portrayal of Sinatra's character to be "a wide-awake pro creating a straight, quietly humorous character of some sensitivity."He appeared with the Rat Pack in the westernSergeants 3(1962),and again in the 1964 gangster-oriented musicalRobin and the 7 Hoods. For his performance inCome Blow Your Horn(1963), adapted from theNeil Simonplay, he was nominated for theGolden Globe Awardfor Best Actor– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Sinatra directedNone but the Brave(1965),andVon Ryan's Express(1965) was a major success.In the late 1960s, Sinatra became known for playing detectives,including Tony Rome inTony Rome(1967) and its sequelLady in Cement(1968).He played a similar role inThe Detective(1968).AsDie Hardwas based on the novel sequel toThe Detective, the studiowas contractually obliged to offer Sinatra the role. Sinatra, who was 70 at the time, declined.
Sinatra starred oppositeGeorge Kennedyin the westernDirty Dingus Magee(1970), an "abysmal" affair according to Santopietro,which was panned by the critics.The following year, Sinatra received aGolden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Awardand had intended to play DetectiveHarry CallahaninDirty Harry(1971), but had to turn down the role due to developingDupuytren's contracturein his hand.Sinatra's last major film role was oppositeFaye DunawayinBrian G. Hutton'sThe First Deadly Sin(1980). Santopietro said that as a troubled New York City homicide cop, Sinatra gave an "extraordinarily rich", heavily layered characterization, one which "made for one terrific farewell" to his film career.
After beginning on theMajor Bowes Amateur Hourradio show with the Hoboken Four in 1935, and later WNEW and WAAT in Jersey City,Sinatra became the star of radio shows of his own onNBCandCBSfrom the early 1940s to the mid-1950s. In 1942, Sinatra hired arranger Axel Stordahl away from Tommy Dorsey before he began his first radio program that year, keeping Stordahl with him for all of his radio work.By the end of 1942, he was named the "Most Popular Male Vocalist on Radio" in aDownBeatpoll.Early on he frequently worked withThe Andrews Sisterson radio. They would appear as guests on each other's shows,as well as on many USO shows broadcast to troops via theArmed Forces Radio Service(AFRS).He appeared as a special guest in the sisters' ABCEight-to-the-Bar Ranchseries,while the trio in turn guested on hisSongs by Sinatraseries on CBS.Sinatra had two stints as a regular member of the cast ofYour Hit Parade;his first was from 1943 to 1945,and second was from 1946 to May 28, 1949,during which he was paired with the then-new girl singer,Doris Day.Starting in September 1949, theBBD&Oadvertising agency produced a radio series starring Sinatra for Lucky Strike calledLight Up Time– some 176 15-minute shows that featured him andDorothy Kirstensinging– which lasted through to May 1950.
In October 1951, the second season ofThe Frank Sinatra Showbegan onCBS Television. Ultimately, Sinatra did not find the success on television for which he had hoped.Santopietro writes that Sinatra "never appeared fully at ease on his own television series."In 1953 and 1954, Sinatra starred in the NBC radio programRocky Fortune, portraying Rocco Fortunato (a.k.a. Rocky Fortune).
In 1957, Sinatra formed a three-year $3million contract with ABC to launchThe Frank Sinatra Show, featuring himself and guests in 36 half-hour shows. ABC agreed to allow Sinatra's Hobart Productions to keep 60% of the residuals and bought stock in Sinatra's film production unit, Kent Productions, guaranteeing him $7million.Though an initial critical success upon its debut on October 18, 1957, it soon attracted negative reviews fromVarietyandThe New Republic, andThe Chicago Sun-Timesthought that Sinatra and frequent guest Dean Martin "performed like a pair of adult delinquents", "sharing the same cigarette and leering at girls."In return, Sinatra later made numerous appearances onThe Dean Martin Showand Martin's TV specials.
Sinatra's fourth and finalTimexTV special,Welcome Home Elvis, was broadcast in March 1960, earning massive viewing figures. During the show, he performed a duet with Presley, who sang Sinatra's 1957 hit "Witchcraft" with the host performing the 1956 Presley classic "Love Me Tender". Sinatra had previously been highly critical ofElvis Presleyand rock and roll in the 1950s, describing it as a "deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac" that "fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."ACBS Newsspecial about Sinatra's 50th birthday,Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, was broadcast on November 16, 1965, and received an Emmy award and aPeabody Award.
Continuing his musical collaboration with Jobim andElla Fitzgeraldin 1967, Sinatra appeared in the TV special,A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim, which was broadcast on CBS on November 13.When Sinatra came out of retirement in 1973, he appeared in a TV special that shared its title with his contemporaneously released album,Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back.In the late 1970s,John Denverappeared as a guest in theSinatra and FriendsABC-TV Special, singing "September Song" as a duet.
Sinatra starred as a detective inContract on Cherry Street(1977), cited as his "one starring role in a dramatic television film".Ten years later, he made a guest appearance oppositeTom SelleckinMagnum, P.I.. Shot in January 1987, the episode aired on CBS on February 25.
Sinatra was married to Nancy Sinatra (née Barbato) from 1939 to 1951. The couple had three children,Nancy(born 1940),Frank Jr.(1944–2016), andTina(born 1948).
Sinatra met Barbato inLong Branch, New Jersey, in the summer of 1934while working as alifeguard.He agreed to marry her after an incident at "The Rustic Cabin" that led to his arrest.Sinatra had numerous extramarital affairs,and gossip magazines published details of affairs with women includingMarilyn Maxwell,Lana Turner,Joi Lansing, andMarilyn Monroe.
Sinatra was married to Hollywood actressAva Gardnerfrom 1951 to 1957. It was a turbulent marriage with many well-publicized fights and altercations.The couple formally announced their separation on October 29, 1953, through MGM.Gardner filed for divorce in June 1954, at a time when she was dating matadorLuis Miguel Dominguín,but the divorce was not settled until 1957.Sinatra continued to feel very strongly for her,and they remained friends for life.
Sinatra reportedly broke off engagements toLauren Bacallin 1958andJuliet Prowsein 1962.He was romantically linked toPat Sheehan,Vikki Dougan, andKipp Hamilton.Sinatra andMia Farrowwere married on July 19, 1966, and the couple divorced in Mexico in August 1968.They remained close friends for life,and in a 2013 interview, Farrow said that Sinatra might be the father of her son,Ronan Farrow(born 1987).In a 2015CBS Sunday Morninginterview, Nancy Sinatra dismissed the claim as "nonsense". She said that her father had avasectomyyears before Farrow's birth.
Sinatra was married toBarbara Marxfrom 1976 until his death.The couple married on July 11, 1976, atSunnylands, inRancho Mirage, California, the estate of media magnateWalter Annenberg.
Sinatra was close friends withJilly Rizzo,songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, golferKen Venturi, comedianPat Henry, baseball managerLeo Durocher, and presidentJohn F. Kennedy(for whom he organized aninaugural ballwithPeter Lawford).In his spare time, he enjoyed listening to classical music.He swam daily in the Pacific Ocean.He often played golf with Venturi at the course in Palm Springs, where he lived in the houseTwin Palmshe had commissioned fromE. Stewart Williamsin 1947He liked painting, reading, and building model railways.
Though Sinatra was critical of the church on numerous occasionsand had apantheistic, Einstein-like view of Godin his earlier life,he was inducted into the CatholicSovereign Military Order of Maltain 1976,and he turned toCatholicismfor healing after his mother died in a plane crash in 1977. He died as a practicing Catholic and had a Catholic burial.
Sinatra was known for his immaculate sense of style.He spent lavishly on expensive custom-tailored tuxedos and stylish pin-striped suits, which made him feel wealthy and important and that he was giving his very best to the audience.He was also obsessed with cleanliness—while with the Tommy Dorsey band, he developed the nickname "Lady Macbeth" because of frequent showering and switching his outfits.His deep blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes".
For Santopietro, Sinatra was the personification of America in the 1950s: "cocky, eye on the main chance, optimistic, and full of the sense of possibility."Barbara Sinatra wrote, "A big part of Frank's thrill was the sense of danger that he exuded, an underlying, ever-present tension only those closest to him knew could be defused with humor."Cary Grant, a friend of Sinatra, stated that Sinatra was the "most honest person he'd ever met", who spoke "a simple truth, without artifice which scared people", and was often moved to tears by his performances.Jo-Caroll Dennison commented that he possessed "great inner strength" and that his energy and drive were "enormous."A workaholic, he reportedly only slept four hours a night on average.Throughout his life, Sinatra had mood swings and bouts of mild to severedepression,stating to an interviewer in the 1950s that "I have an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as elation."Barbara Sinatra stated that he would "snap at anyone for the slightest misdemeanor",while Van Heusen said that when Sinatra got drunk, it was "best to disappear."
Sinatra's mood swings often developed into violence, directed at people he felt had crossed him, particularly journalists who gave him scathing reviews, publicists, and photographers.According to Rojek, he was "capable of deeply offensive behavior that smacked of a persecution complex."He received negative press for fights withLee Mortimerin 1947, photographer Eddie Schisser inHoustonin 1950, Judy Garland's publicistJim Byronon theSunset Stripin 1954,and for a confrontation withWashington PostjournalistMaxine Cheshirein 1973, in which he implied that she was a cheap prostitute.His feud with then-Chicago Sun TimescolumnistMike Roykobegan when Royko wrote a column questioning why Chicago police offered free protection to Sinatra when he had his own security. Sinatra wrote an angry letter in response, calling Royko a "pimp" and threatening to "punch you in the mouth" for speculating that he wore atoupée.
Sinatra was also known for his generosity,particularly after his comeback. Kelley notes that whenLee J. Cobbnearly died from a heart attack in June 1955, Sinatra flooded him with "books, flowers, delicacies", paid his hospital bills, and visited him daily, telling him that his "finest acting" was yet to come.
Sinatra became the stereotype of the "tough working-class Italian American", something which he embraced. He said that if it had not been for his interest in music, he would have likely ended up in a life of crime.Willie Morettiwas Sinatra's godfather and the notoriousunderbossof theGenovese crime family, and he helped Sinatra in exchange for kickbacks and was reported to have intervened in releasing Sinatra from his contract with Tommy Dorsey.Sinatra was present at the MafiaHavana Conferencein 1946,and the press learned of his being there withLucky Luciano. One newspaper published the headline "Shame, Sinatra".He was reported to be a good friend of mobsterSam Giancana,Kelley quoted Jo-Carrol Silvers that Sinatra "adored"Bugsy Siegeland boasted to friends about him and how many people Siegel had killed.Kelley says that Sinatra and mobsterJoseph Fischettihad been good friends from 1938 onward and acted like "Sicilian brothers".She also states that Sinatra andHank Sanicolawere financial partners withMickey Cohenin the gossip magazineHollywood Night Life.
The FBI kept records amounting to 2,403 pages on Sinatra, who was a natural target with his alleged Mafia ties, his ardentNew Dealpolitics, and his friendship withJohn F. Kennedy.The FBI kept him under surveillance for almost five decades beginning in the 1940s. The documents include accounts of Sinatra as the target of death threats and extortion schemes.The FBI documented that Sinatra was losing esteem with the Mafia as he grew closer to President Kennedy, whose younger brother Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedywas leading a crackdown on organized crime.Sinatra said he was not involved: "Any report that I fraternized with goons or racketeers is a vicious lie."
In 1960, Sinatra bought a share in theCal Neva Lodge & Casino, a casino hotel on the north shore ofLake Tahoe. Sinatra built the Celebrity Room theater, which attracted his show business friendsRed Skelton,Marilyn Monroe,Victor Borge,Joe E. Lewis,Lucille Ball,Lena Horne,Juliet Prowse, theMcGuire Sisters, and others. By 1962, he reportedly held a 50-percent share in the hotel.Sinatra's gambling license was temporarily suspended by theNevada Gaming Control Boardin 1963 after Giancana was spotted on the premises.Due to ongoing pressure from the FBI and Nevada Gaming Commission on mobster control of casinos, Sinatra agreed to give up his share in Cal Neva and the Sands.That year, his sonFrank Jr. was kidnappedbut was eventually released unharmed.Sinatra's gambling license was restored in February 1981, following support fromRonald Reagan.
Sinatra held varied political views throughout his life. His mother, Dolly, was aDemocratic Partyward leader.After meeting PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltin 1944, he subsequently heavily campaigned for the Democrats in the1944 presidential election.According to Jo Carroll Silvers, in his younger years, Sinatra had "ardent liberal" sympathies and was "so concerned about poor people that he was always quotingHenry Wallace."He was outspoken against racism, particularly toward black people and Italians, from a young age. In the early 1950s, he was among those who campaigned to combine the racially segregated musicians' unions in Los Angeles.In November 1945, Sinatra was invited by the mayor ofGary, Indiana, to try to settle a strike by white students of Froebel High School against the "Pro-Negro" policies of the new principal.His comments, while praised by liberal publications, led to accusations by some that he was acommunist, which he said were not true.In the1948 presidential election, Sinatra actively campaigned for PresidentHarry S. Truman.In 1952 and 1956, he campaigned forAdlai Stevenson.
Of all the U.S. presidents he associated with during his career, he was closest toJohn F. Kennedy.Sinatra often invited Kennedy to Hollywood and Las Vegas, and the two would womanize and enjoy parties together.In January 1961, Sinatra andPeter Lawfordorganized theInaugural Galain Washington, D.C., held on the evening before President Kennedy was sworn into office.After taking office, Kennedy distanced himself from Sinatra due partly to Sinatra's ties with the Mafia.In 1962, Sinatra was snubbed by the President as, during his visit to hisPalm Springs, Kennedy stayed with the Republican Bing Crosby instead of Sinatra, citing FBI concerns about the latter's alleged connections to organized crime.Sinatra had spared no expense upgrading the facilities at his home in anticipation of the President's visit, fitting it with a heliport, which he smashed with a sledgehammer after the rejection.Despite the snub, when he learned of Kennedy's assassination he reportedly sobbed in his bedroom for three days.Sinatra worked withHubert H. Humphreyin 1968,and remained a supporter of the Democratic Party until the early 1970s. Although still a registered Democrat, Sinatra endorsedRepublicanRonald Reaganfor a second term asGovernor of Californiain 1970.He officially changed allegiance in July 1972 when he supportedRichard Nixonfor re-election in the1972 presidential election.
In the1980 presidential election, Sinatra supported Ronald Reagan and donated $4million to Reagan's campaign.Sinatra arranged Reagan's Presidential gala, as he had done for Kennedy 20 years previously.In 1985, Reagan presented Sinatra with thePresidential Medal of Freedom, remarking, "His love of country, his generosity for those less fortunate... make him one of our most remarkable and distinguished Americans."
In June 1984, Sinatra performed at the State Dinner in the White House honoringSri Lankan PresidentJ. R. Jayawardenaat the invitation of US President Ronald Reagan.
Santopietro notes that Sinatra was a "lifelong sympathizer withJewish causes."He was awarded theHollzer Memorial Awardby theLos Angeles Jewish Communityin 1949.He gave a series of concerts in Israel in 1962 and donated his entire $50,000 fee for appearing in a cameo role inCast a Giant Shadow(1966) to the Youth Center in Jerusalem.On November 1, 1972, he raised $6.5million in bond pledges for Israel,and was given the Medallion of Valor for his efforts.The Frank Sinatra Student Center at theHebrew University of Jerusalemwas dedicated in his name in 1978.
From his youth, Sinatra displayed sympathy for black Americans and worked both publicly and privately all his life to help the struggle for equal rights. He blamed racial prejudice on the parents of children.Sinatra played a major role in thedesegregationofNevadahotels and casinos in the 1950s and 1960s.On January 27, 1961, Sinatra played a benefit show at Carnegie Hall forMartin Luther King Jr.and led his fellow Rat Pack members and Reprise label mates in boycotting hotels and casinos that refused entry to black patrons and performers. According to his son, Frank Jr., King sat weeping in the audience at one of his father's concerts in 1963 as Sinatra sang "Ol' Man River", a song from the musicalShow Boatthat is sung by a black American stevedore.When he changed his political affiliations in 1970, Sinatra became less outspoken on racial issues.Though he did much towards civil rights causes, it did not stop the occasional racial jibe from him and the other Rat Pack members toward Davis at concerts.
During the final years of his life, Sinatra was in ill health and was frequently hospitalized forheartandbreathing problems,high blood pressure,pneumonia, andbladder cancer. He made no public appearances following aheart attackin February 1997.On the night of May 14, 1998, Sinatra died of another heart attack atCedars-Sinai Medical Centerin Los Angeles, with his wife Barbara at his side; he was 82 years old.Barbara encouraged Sinatra to "fight" while attempts were made to stabilize him, and reported that his final words were, "I'm losing."Sinatra's daughter, Tina, later wrote that she and her siblings had not been notified of their father's final hospitalization, and it was her belief that "the omission was deliberate. Barbara would be the grieving widowaloneat her husband's side."The night after Sinatra's death, the lights on theEmpire State Buildingwere turned blue, the lights at theLas Vegas Stripwere dimmed in his honor, and the casinos stopped spinning for one minute.Significant increases in recording sales worldwide were reported byBillboardin the month of his death.
Sinatra's funeral was held at theChurch of the Good ShepherdinBeverly Hills, California, on May 20, 1998, with 400 mourners in attendance and thousands of fans outside.Gregory Peck,Tony Bennett, and Sinatra's son, Frank Jr., addressed the mourners, who included many people from film and entertainment.
Sinatra was buried in a blue business suit; his grave, adorned with mementos from family members, was next to his parents inDesert Memorial ParkinCathedral City, California.The phrases "The Best Is Yet to Come", and "Beloved Husband & Father" were placed on Sinatra's modest grave marker.Sinatra's gravestone was changed as of 2021to read "Sleep Warm, Poppa", due to damage caused to the original gravestone under mysterious circumstances, according to the magazinePalm Springs Life.
Robert Christgaureferred to Sinatra as "the greatest singer of the 20th century".His popularity is matched only byBing Crosby,Elvis Presley,The Beatles, andMichael Jackson.For Santopietro, Sinatra was the "greatest male pop singer in the history of America",who amassed "unprecedented power onscreen and off", and "seemed to exemplify the common man, an ethnic twentieth-century American male who reached the 'top of the heap', yet never forgot his roots." Santopietro argues that Sinatra created his world, which he was able to dominate—his career was centered around power, perfecting the ability to capture an audience.
Gus Levenecommented that Sinatra's strength was that when it came to lyrics, telling a story musically, Sinatra displayed a "genius" ability and feeling, which with the "rare combination of voice and showmanship" made him the "original singer" which others who followed most tried to emulate.George Roberts, a trombonist in Sinatra's band, remarked that Sinatra had a "charisma, or whatever it is about him, that no one else had."Biographer Arnold Shaw considered that "If Las Vegas had not existed, Sinatra could have invented it." He quoted reporterJames Baconin saying that Sinatra was the "swinging image on which the town is built", adding that no other entertainer quite "embodied the glamour" associated with Las Vegas as him.Sinatra continues to be seen as one of the icons of the 20th century,and has three stars on theHollywood Walk of Famefor his work in film and music.
In Sinatra's nativeHoboken, he was awarded theKey to the CitybyMayorFred M. De Sapio on October 30, 1947.In 2003, the city's main post office was rededicated in his honor.A bronze plaque, placed two years before Sinatra's death in 1998, marks the site of the house where he was born.There is also a marker in front ofHoboken Historical Museum, which has artifacts from his life and conducts Sinatra walking tours through the city.Frank Sinatra Drive runs parallel to theHudson River Waterfront Walkway. On the waterfront isFrank Sinatra Park, where a bronze plaque was placed in 1989 upon its opening.In the Frank Sinatra Park, a 6-foot (1.8 m) tall bronzestatue of Sinatrawas dedicated in 2021 on December 12, the date of Sinatra's birthday in 1915.A residence hall atMontclair State Universityin New Jersey was named in his honor.Other buildings named for Sinatra include theFrank Sinatra School of the ArtsinAstoria, Queens, the Frank Sinatra International Student Center at Israel'sHebrew Universityin Jerusalem dedicated in 1978,and the Frank Sinatra Hall at theUSC School of Cinematic Artsin Los Angeles, California, dedicated in 2002.Wynn Resorts'Encore Las Vegasresort features a restaurant dedicated to Sinatra which opened in 2008.There are several streets and roads named in honor of Frank Sinatra in several states of the U.S.
Various items of memorabilia from Sinatra's life and career, such as Frank Sinatra's awards, gold records, and various personal items, are displayed atUSC's Frank Sinatra Hall in Los Angeles and also atWynn Resort's Sinatra restaurant in Las Vegas.
TheUnited States Postal Serviceissued a 42-cent postage stamp in honor of Sinatra in May 2008, commemorating the tenth anniversary of his death.TheUnited States Congresspassed a resolution on May 20, 2008, designating May 13 as Frank Sinatra Day.
Sinatra received threeHonorary Degreesduring his lifetime. In May 1976, he was invited to speak at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas(UNLV) graduation commencement held atSam Boyd Stadium. It was at this commencement that he was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate litterarum humanarum by the university.During his speech, Sinatra stated that his education had come from "the school of hard knocks" and that "this is the first educational degree I have ever held in my hand. I will never forget what you have done for me today".In 1984 and 1985, Sinatra received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts fromLoyola Marymount Universityand an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from theStevens Institute of Technology.
In 2023,Rolling Stoneranked Sinatra at No. 19 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
In 2024, a new road inFrenchayin NorthBristolwas namedSinatra Wayafter Sinatra, to commemorate his 1953 visit toFrenchay Hospital, which used to sit at the site of a new housing development.
Sinatra has also been portrayed on numerous occasions in film and television. A television miniseries based on Sinatra's life, titledSinatra, was aired by CBS in 1992. The series was directed byJames Steven Sadwith, who won an Emmy Award forOutstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Specialand starredPhilip Casnoffas Sinatra.Sinatrawas written byAbby Mannand Philip Mastrosimone and produced by Sinatra's daughter, Tina.
Sinatra has subsequently been portrayed on screen byRay Liotta(The Rat Pack, 1998),James Russo(Stealing Sinatra, 2003),Dennis Hopper(The Night We Called It a Day, 2003),andRobert Knepper(My Way, 2012),and spoofed byJoe PiscopoandPhil HartmanonSaturday Night Live.A biographical film directed byMartin Scorsesehas long been planned.A 1998 episode of the BBC documentary seriesArena,The Voice of the Century, focused on Sinatra.Alex Gibneydirected a four-part biographical series on Sinatra,All or Nothing at All, for HBO in 2015.A musical tribute was aired onCBStelevision in December 2015 to mark Sinatra's centenary.Sinatra was also portrayed by Rico Simonini in the 2018 feature filmFrank & Ava, which is based on a play byWillard Manus.CreedsingerScott Stappalso portrayed Sinatra in the 2024 feature filmReagan, a biopic of U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan.Martin Scorsese planned to make a film on Sinatra and his second wife Ava Gardner.
Sinatra was convinced that Johnny Fontane, a mob-associated singer inMario Puzo's novelThe Godfather(1969), was based on his life. Puzo wrote in 1972 that when the author and singer met inChasen's, Sinatra "started to shout abuse", calling Puzo a "pimp" and threatening physical violence.Francis Ford Coppola, director of thefilm adaptation, said in theaudio commentarythat "Obviously Johnny Fontane was inspired by a kind of Frank Sinatra character".
In September 2023, a biopic jukebox stage musical based on Sinatra's life titledSinatra: The MusicalbyJoe DiPietropremiered at theBirmingham Repertory Theatrestarring Tony Award-winning actorMatt Doyleas Sinatra.
Studio albums
Collaboration albums