Get to Know Frank Sinatra

Hello and welcome back to the second edition of my Get to know series! If you missed my first one, you can find it here.

Today we will be getting to know Frank Sinatra, aka the “Chairman of the Board” (or Ol’ Blue Eyes. Whatever you prefer! Lol). I chose Sinatra because he was, and some can argue his music still is, an influential cultural figure in U.S. history. Also, I love his music! 

Please note that I will be writing about the information I find most interesting and beneficial to the post! These will be shorter biographies on historical & cultural figures. If you’re interested in all of the details, please see my citation list at the bottom of the post. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this post and series. As always, please share and subscribe. Thank you for reading!

Early Life

On a cold winter night in December of 1915, Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey (2). Unbeknownst to me (and maybe many more people), Frank Sinatra almost died the day he was born – December 12^th, 1915 (1). According to Sinatra.com, “the doctor had trouble getting the huge 13 ½  – pound baby out of his tiny mother, a woman less than five feet tall.” Ugh wow. Can you imagine that? Sounds incredibly painful! It continues: “Using forceps, the doctor tugged away, ripping and scarring the baby’s ear, cheek and neck, and puncturing his eardrum.” Reading this makes me so upset. How can a doctor be so incompetent? I understand he was a big baby, but there had to have been a way to do that safely.

Anyways, once Frank was out of the womb, he was not breathing at all. That is until his grandmother swiftly took him from the doctor and held him under cold running water until he started breathing (1). Thank God for his grandmother! Otherwise he wouldn’t have survived and we never would have had one of the greatest musical artists ever. What a gift from above!

Growing up, young Frank Sinatra was the only child of Sicilian immigrants (2), Martin and Natalie (AKA – “Dolly”) (3). His father, Martin, owned a tavern called Marty O’Briens (4). Per Hobokengirl.com, Frank’s father was also a boxer, and due to the large Irish population in his area, he took on the boxing persona Marty O’Brien. So, the bar and grill the family owned was named after Martin’s boxing character (4).

His mother, Natalie/”Dolly”, was apparently a “domineering influence in both local politics and in her son’s life and career. (3)” Another great influence in young Sinatra’s life was Bing Crosby. As a teen, Sinatra listened to Crosby’s music and fell in love with the art. Because of Bing Crosby, we have Frank Sinatra. Soon after discovering his passion for music and singing, Sinatra chose popular singing as a calling (3). He then joined a local singing group who called themselves the “Hoboken Four” (3). According to Britannica, in 1939 Frank Sinatra finally had his big break. While singing and waiting tables at a restaurant in New Jersey, he was discovered and hired by Harry James, who was a trumpeter and had quit another Orchestra to pursue his own band. 

Career and Politics

Soon after partnering himself with James, the pair released their first record. However, both songs they released failed to hit the charts (1). A year later, Sinatra met a man named Tommy Dorsey, who invited him to join his band (2). After a couple years of “chart – topping success” (per biography.com), Sinatra finally decided to start his solo career. 

From 1943 to 1946, Sinatra had much success career wise, however, one can assume the best thing to happen to him between those years was the birth of his son, Frank Sinatra Jr. in January of 1944 (1). 

Throughout that time, Sinatra decided to pursue a different avenue in show business. In 1943 he added to his resume by making his debut as an actor in the films Reveille With Beverley and Higher and Higher (2). According to biography.com, Sinatra was losing popularity with the fan’s in the years after the war, which ultimately cost him contracts in both recordings and films. However, in 1953, he made a dominant comeback in the movie scene by winning an Oscar for his role in From Here to Eternity (2).

After having this renewed success, Capitol Records signed Frank Sinatra, where he put out some of his most famous songs and albums. One of his best, from his time with Capitol Records, is Come Fly with me. It’s such a fun song to listen to! Throughout his time with Capitol, he put out many songs, and each had their own unique sound (in my opinion). According to Britannica.com, “Two of his most heralded recordings – I’ve Got You Under My Skin (1956) and “One for My Baby (1958), both arranged by Riddle – illustrate well his varied approach to mood and tempos.” Per Google, Nelson Riddle was an “American arranger, composer, bandleader, and orchestrator.” He set Sinatra up for success by pairing him with such talented musicians in his songs.

As the years went on, and Sinatra became even more successful, he eventually headed to Las Vegas and teamed up with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. These men were known as the “Rat Pack” (2). After years of performing in Vegas with his crew, starring in movies, and embracing his playboy persona, Sinatra took a brief retirement until about 1970 (2). 

Once returning to the music scene, he released a new album in ’73 and even became involved in politics (2). As many know, Frank Sinatra became very close with President John F. Kennedy, and even helped his campaign in electing him in 1960, per biography.com. However, based on my memory from the Sinatra documentary I watched on Netflix, Sinatra was known to allegedly have affiliations with multiple members of the mob. Because of this, JFK did not want to socialize with him for much longer, so that relationship had ended. Sinatra was apparently so upset about this, that he switched political parties and helped campaign for the next Republican nominee for President.

Also in 1960, Sinatra founded his own record label, which was called Reprise Records (3). According to Britannica, Frank Sinatra recorded and released about 14 albums – all new material – from 1961-1963. That’s insane! He had to have been working nonstop lol. 

In 1969, also known as the “Woodstock generation”, Sinatra felt as if there was no one left in the industry who could write for him, since the music had shifted from his genre of traditional pop (3). So, he announced his [first] retirement in 1971, however, by 1973 he started recording music again, but he was choosing his projects more carefully and only released seven albums of new music (3). 

After years of drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, Sinatra’s voice had turned from that smooth baritone to “gritty and coarse”, per Britannica. However, he learned to deal with this change, which made these later albums some of his best. “His well – regarded albums of later years include volume on of the ambitious three – disc Trilogy (1980), the ballad collection She Shot Me Down (1981), and L.A. Is My Lady (1984), which featured an all – star orchestra (3).” 

Once the 90’s came around, Sinatra ended up returning to his former label, Capitol Records, after having been gone for nearly a decade (3). In addition to his shortened recording projects, Sinatra also retired from films in his later years, per Britannica. Somehow, in his old age, he still performed live in the U.S. and internationally for many years (3). 

End of career and Death

In 1995 Frank Sinatra had officially retired from showbiz. He performed one last time at the Palm Desert Marriott Ballroom in California (2). Three years later, at the age of 82, Sinatra finally “faced his final curtain” (2). One of, if not THE, most popular entertainers of our time had passed away. 

What else can be said about Frank Sinatra? I recently discovered him last year and haven’t stopped listening since. I knew who he was since I was a kid, but I never actually listened to his music. I always thought of it as “old”, but now when I listen I can’t get enough. Most of his songs are so meaningful and were sung with so much passion. I like that in my music – when the words really mean something to the singer. When you can feel how raw the emotions are for them. That’s what makes for a good song! Sinatra did just that in multiple albums and songs, which is why he is one of the greatest artists ever. 

He may have passed from this world, but his legacy will live on for many generations to come. The world will not forget Frank Sinatra anytime soon.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Frank Sinatra. If you enjoyed this post please share and subscribe! Please see below for my citation list.

Peter

Social Media: Twitter & Instagram

Works Cited

1. http://www.sinatra.com/frank-sinatra-timeline/
2. https://www.biography.com/musicians/frank-sinatra
3. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frank-Sinatra
4. https://www.hobokengirl.com/frank-sinatra-walking-tour-hoboken/
5. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/frank-sinatra-the-capitol-records-albums