Artist Discussion Series: Frank Sinatra

[AwallaceUNC]

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Frank Sinatra

<img src="http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/153/847434.jpg">
Primary Genres: Crooning, Jazz, Easy Listening
Seconday Genres/Styling: Swing, Vocalism, Showtunes, Holiday
Born December 12, 1915 - Died May 14, 1998
Estimated Total Worldwide Sales: 250,000,000+
Grammys: 10
Oscars: 3
Inducted Into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980


Official Discography
<table width="75%" border="1"><tr><td width="36%">The Voice of Frank Sinatra (1948)</td><td width="30%">Sinatra and Strings (1962)</td><td width="34%">Sinatra-Jobim Sessions (1979)</td></tr><tr><td>Christmas Songs by Sinatra (1948)</td><td>Sinatra and Swingin' Brass (1962)</td><td>Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980)</td></tr><tr><td>Frankly Sentimental (1949)</td><td>All Alone (1962)</td><td>She Shot Me Down (1981)</td></tr><tr><td>Songs by Sinatra (1950)</td><td>Sinatra-Basie: An Historical Musical First (1962)</td><td>L.A. Is My Lady (1984)</td></tr><tr><td>Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra (1950)</td><td>The Concert Sinatra (1963)</td><td>The Reprise Collection (1990)</td></tr><tr><td>Songs for Young Lovers (1954)</td><td>Sinatra's Sinatra (1963)</td><td>The Capitol Years (1990)</td></tr><tr><td>Swing Easy! (1954)</td><td>Sinatra Sings...Academy Award Winners (1964)</td><td>The Columbia Years 1943-1952: The Complete Recordings (1993)</td></tr><tr><td>In the Wee Small Hours (1955)</td><td>America, I Hear You Singing (1964)</td><td>Duets (1993)</td></tr><tr><td>Songs for Swingin' Lovers (1956)</td><td>It Might as Well Be Swing (1964)</td><td>The Song Is You (1994)</td></tr><tr><td>Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color (1956)</td><td>Softly, As I Leave You (1964)</td><td>Duets II (1994)</td></tr><tr><td>This Is Sinatra! (1956)</td><td>Sinatra '65: The Singer Today (1965)</td><td>Sinatra & Sextet: Live In Paris (1994)</td></tr><tr><td>Close to You (1957)</td><td>September of My Years (1965)</td><td>Sinatra 80th: Live in Concert (1995)</td></tr><tr><td>A Swingin' Affair! (1957)</td><td>My Kind of Broadway (1965)</td><td>The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings (1995)</td></tr><tr><td>Where Are You? (1957)</td><td>A Man and His Music (1965)</td><td>The Complete Capitol Singles Collection (1996)</td></tr><tr> <td>A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra (1957)</td><td>Moonlight Sinatra (1966)</td><td>With Red Norvo Quintet: Live in Australia, 1959 (1997)</td></tr><tr><td>Come Fly with Me (1958)</td><td>Strangers in the Night (1966)</td><td>The Best of the Columbia Years: 1943-1952 (1998)</td></tr><tr><td>This Is Sinatra Vol. 2 (1958)</td><td>Sinatra at the Sands with Count Basie (1966)</td><td>The Columbia Years 1943-1952: The V-Discs (1998)</td></tr><tr><td>Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958)</td><td>That's Life (1966)</td><td>Frank Sinatra & the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1998)</td></tr><tr><td>Come Dance with Me! (1959)</td><td>Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)</td><td>Sinatra '57 in Concert (1999)</td></tr><tr><td>Look to Your Heart (1959)</td><td>The World We Knew (1967)</td><td>Capitol Concepts (2000)</td></tr><tr><td>No One Cares (1959)</td><td>Francis A. & Edward K. (1968)</td><td>Frank Sinatra in Hollywood 1940-1964 (2002)</td></tr><tr><td>Nice 'n' Easy (1960)</td><td>Cycles (1968)</td><td>The Real Complete Columbia Years V-Discs (2003)</td></tr><tr><td>All the Way (1961)</td><td>The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas (1968)</td><td>The Essential Frank Sinatra with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (2005)</td></tr><tr><td>Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! (1961)</td><td>My Way (1969)</td><td>Live from Las Vegas (2005)</td></tr><tr><td>Come Swing With Me (1961)</td><td>A Man Alone (1969)</td><td>The Great American Songbook Legacy Recordings (2006)</td></tr><tr><td>Ring-A-Ding-Ding (1961)</td><td>Watertown (1970</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Swing Along With Me/Sinatra Swings (1961)</td><td>Sinatra & Company (1971)</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>I Remember Tommy (1961)</td><td>Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (1973)</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Point of No Return (1962)</td><td>Some Nice Things I've Missed (1974)</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Sinatra Sings of Love and Things (1962)</td><td>The Main Event - Live (1974)</td><td>-</td></tr></table>


Select Home Video Releases
Frank Sinatra - They Were Very Good Years
Frank Sinatra - A Man and His Music
The Frank Sinatra Show - High Hopes
Sinatra - The Classic Duets ~ Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, and Nancy Sinatra
Frank Sinatra - Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back
Frank Sinatra - In Concert at Royal Festival Hall
Happy Holidays With Bing & Frank


Select Filmography
Las Vegas Nights (1941)
Higher and Higher (1944)
Step Lively (1944)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
It Happened in Brooklyn (1947)
The Miracle of the Bells (1948)
The Kissing Bandit (1948)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
On the Town (1949)
Double Dynamite (1951)
Meet Danny Wilson (1952)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Suddenly (1954)
Young at Heart (1954)
Not as a Stranger (1955)
Guys and Dolls (1955)
The Tender Trap (1955)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
High Society (1956)
Johnny Concho (1956)
Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
The Pride and the Passion (1957)
The Joker Is Wild (1957)
Pal Joey (1957)
Kings Go Forth (1958)
Some Came Running (1958)
A Hole in the Head (1959)
Never So Few (1959)
Can-Can (1960)
Ocean's Eleven (1960)
Pepe (1960) (Cameo)
Advise and Consent (1962) (voice)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Come Blow Your Horn (1963)
Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
Von Ryan's Express (1965)
The Oscar (1966) (Cameo)
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
The Naked Runner (1967)
Tony Rome (1967)
That's Entertainment! (1974)
The First Deadly Sin (1980)
Cannonball Run II (1984)
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Most Popular Songs
My Way
Theme From New York, New York
The Way You Look Tonight
All The Way
Witchcraft
Come Fly With Me
Mack the Knife
I've Got The World On A String
Young at Heart
They Can't Take That Away From Me
I've Got You Under My Skin
I Get A Kick Out Of You
High Hopes
Angel Eyes
One For My Baby
Oh! Look At Me Now
That's Life
All Or Nothing At All
The Christmas Waltz
You Make Me Feel So Young
Don'Cha Go 'way Mad
Love and Marriage
Dolores
It Happened In Monterey
Mistletoe and Holly
Drinking Again
Blue Skies
My Buddy
The Lady Is A Tramp
I Think of You
Pale Moon
Street of Dreams
The Coffee Song
It Was A Very Good Year
I've Got a Crush On You
Nature Boy
I Believe
September Song
Dream
Summer Wind
People Will Say We're In Love
You'll Never Know
Night and Day
Fly to the Moon


Notable Facts
*Due to the age and length of his career, during which the music industry and its system of record-keeping, charting, and awarding underwent a lot of change, Sinatra's exact success is more difficult to quantify than most
*He is commonly referred to as "Ol' Blue Eyes"
*In addition to being one the most famous and respected vocalists of all time, he was also an accomplished actor, appearing in several film classics
*His musical stylings and appeal to youth and then older audiences was influential in the formation of popular music
*His music career continued until his 1998 death, giving him one of the longest careers in music history
*He continued to perform live until 1995
*He was known for being a womanizer and it is integral to his image today
*Likewise, he is known for his alleged connections with the Mafia
*Johnny Fontane in The Godfather was allegedly modeled after Sinatra
*He is Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Tina Sinatra's father
*His son was kidnapped and later released for ransom in 1963
*In the Wee Small Hours is considered by many to be music's first concept album. It also came in at #100 on the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
*BBC Radio 2 named him the "Greatest Voice of the 20th Century" in 2001


Mini-Biography
Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was a popular and highly acclaimed male vocalist. Renowned for his impeccable phrasing and timing, critics place him alongside such artists as Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles as one of the most important, popular and influential musical figures of the 20th century.[1]

Sinatra had a larger-than-life presence in the public eye, and over a seven decade career in show business, became an American icon. His brash, sometimes swaggering attitude was perhaps best embodied by his signature song "My Way", and more generally by his frequently gutsy cinematic performances. He also garnered considerable attention due to his alleged connections with the Mafia.
(Biography from Wikipedia.com)


Official Websites: www.franksinatra.com * www.sinatrafamily.com * www.franksinatrafoundation.com

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Past Artist Discussions:
1. Aerosmith
2. Elvis Presley
3. Michael Jackson
4. The Beatles
5. Mariah Carey
6. Pink Floyd
7. Madonna
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-Aaron

[Escapay]

Cool, never knew his middle name is my first (Albert).

I've got a couple old LPs of his, along with a few CDs, but other than that, the only time I ever really hear his music is in movies.

Heard he was hard to work with on set (and got more expensive each year), which is why "It's Always Fair Weather", which was originally set as a sequel to "On the Town", had Michael Kidd and Dan Dailey insteady of Sinatra and Jules Munshin.

Anyways, he's one of those singers you can't help but admire.

Escapay

[Lucylover1986]

Interesting choice. I've heard his music just by chance a few times. Very good singer.

[AwallaceUNC]

I didn't really encounter much of Sinatra's music until a few years ago, when several converging influences led me to really fall in love with jazz. I've accumulated hundreds of his songs and enjoy most of them. I generally prefer female singers to males (with some notable exceptions, of course) but his voice really is one of the greatest I've heard. I really like his Christmas stuff too.

Now, I know a lot of people don't like to label him as "jazz" -- even some who are willing to give that label to Fitzgerald and Holiday. I honestly think that's a case of snobbery. I realize that the academic definition of jazz requires improv and instrumentation but I think it's unfortunate that so many won't recognize the voice as an instrument. This is a problem I have in all genres when people complain about artists who don't play instruments. The voice itself is an instrument, or at the very least it can be used as such. Scatting isn't the only way to do that (although I do love to hear a good scat... I don't think I've ever heard that from Sinatra, however). I like what Wikipedia's profile has to say on the matter.

I think the only movie I've seen him in is The Manchurian Candidate, which I really like and he was very good in.

My favorite songs? Hmmm. THE favorite is probably "Young at Heart." Others include "My Way", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Witchcraft", "Come Fly With Me", "I've Got The World On A String", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow". There are so many good ones, though.

-Aaron

[Luke]

For me, the music of Frank Sinatra will always remind me of one thing: haircuts. That's because over the years, Saturday has become my established day for going to the barber and Mike the barber, my long-time hair-cutter, has a penchant for a radio station which plays "Saturdays with Sinatra." Whether I'd get right in the chair or have to wait for those in front of me, I'd always be treated to some of "The Chairman of the Board." On an especially busy day, that could be well over an hour, so I'm thankful it's not something worse.

As usual, I don't have much to say about his music, but it's not bad. I will say that he's the best actor of those who have been covered in this series thus far. The Rat Pack movies basically seem like one big party, but the other work in some more "artistically significant" stuff has been solid. Also, I get a kick out of his personality as portrayed on "Saturday Night Live" by the great Phil Hartman.

[MickeyMousePal]

Not really a big fan of Frank Sinatra but he sings great and is consider a legend.

[HalRoachFan]

One of these days, I'd like to see an Arists Discussion series for Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald.

Frank Sinatra... no one can deny he was a jazz legend.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

"Larger-than-life" presence - legendary...

I wouldn't consider myself a "fan", but that's irrelevant for a character of such stature.

[Lazario]

I have not heard 1 Frank Sinatra song the entire way through. As far as I know, my parents didn't care for him. And my roomates don't have 1 of his albums or any collections of music that he is featured on. So I could never be a fan. Lack of exposure equals lack of knowledge.

But as a person, if he supported the mafia - that's a bad thing. People can ignore it all they want, easy since I don't know of any irrefutable proof, but if it's true - let's not be stupid just because our society is obsessed with The Godfather and thinks Tony Soprano is a hero. The mafia have savaged the lives of so many innocent people, they should never be forgiven. And this link should not be overlooked. Besides, Frank Sinatra was always a man of questionable character. A good singer to be sure, but not the world's kindest soul.

[AwallaceUNC]

I have not heard 1 Frank Sinatra song the entire way through.

Oh man, that's gotta change!

But as a person, if he supported the mafia - that's a bad thing. People can ignore it all they want, easy since I don't know of any irrefutable proof, but if it's true - let's not be stupid just because our society is obsessed with The Godfather and thinks Tony Soprano is a hero. The mafia have savaged the lives of so many innocent people, they should never be forgiven. And this link should not be overlooked. Besides, Frank Sinatra was always a man of questionable character. A good singer to be sure, but not the world's kindest soul.

Agreed. People tend to look at him through rose-colored glasses. I don't know if the Mafia allegations are true or not but it seems safe to say that he wasn't always on the up and up.

Musically, however, he's fantastic.

I didn't realize that he's apparently not all that well-liked or even much exposed to the UD community. My bad!

-Aaron

[Lazario]

I have not heard 1 Frank Sinatra song the entire way through.

Oh man, that's gotta change!

If it's any consolation, they do have 1 Dean Martin CD.

I didn't realize that he's apparently not all that well-liked or even much exposed to the UD community. My bad!

No, your-good (see what Trendy TeenTalk turns us into). Got to spread the knowledge. Anyway, I've never been too keen on jazzy white men singing old-fashioned songs about boring things. You know, it's true what they say - it's just natural that we dislike music that reminds us of people, places, and times we'd never want to live in or go back to. I said that, actually, but I've heard it put differently before. And I agree with it. In lieu of all the great music that has come following Sinatra's era, the man's music sort of pales and grays.

[musicradio77]

I have plenty of Frank Sinatra albums on vinyl. "In the Wee Small Hours", "Swing Easy!", "Songs for Young Lovers", "Come Dance With Me", "A Swingin' Affair", "A Jolly Christmas", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Harmony), "I Remember Dorsey", "Softly As I Leave You", "The World We Knew", "Cycles", "My Way", "Greatest Hits" and "Trilogy". I also have the 45 of "New York, New York". That song rocks! I also have plenty of CD's including the one with Tommy Dorsey, "The Columbia Years (1943-52)", "Duets 1 & 2", "Sinatra 80th: All My Best and Live in Concert", "The Best of the Capitol Years", "Sinatra Reprise" and a bunch of other Sinatra CD's. I'm a hardcore fan of Frank Sinatra.

I love the music from different years like the Tommy Dorsey years, the Columbia years, the Capitol years and the Reprise years. My stepdad is a huge Sinatra fan and so does his stepdad's sister Antionette. She had been a Sinatra fan for decades. I've been going through these stuff and I loved it. I went to her house every Thanksgiving and during the holidays.

Great to hear the music again.